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REMINISCENCES 

AND 

Thrilling Stories <* ™ War 

BY 

Returned Heroes 

CONTAINING 

Vivid Accounts of Personal Experiences 
by Officers and Men 

ADMIRAL DEWEY'S REPORT OF THE FAMOUS NAVAL BATTLE AT MANILA; 
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT BY ADMIRAL SCHLEY OF THE NAVAL BATTLE 
AT SANTIAGO ; GLOWING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BATTLES 
BY THE OFFICERS OF THE VESSELS ENGAGED 

Daring Deeds of our Brave Regulars and Volunteers at the 
Battles of La Quasina, El Caney and San Juan 

TO WHICH IS ADDED ADMIRAL CERVERA'S STORY OF HIS ATTEMPT TO 
ESCAPE FROM THE HARBOR OF SANTIAGO; HOBSON'S VIVID 
ACCOUNT OF THE SINKING OF THE MERR1MAC, ETC. 

EXCITING EXPERIENCES IN PORTO RICO AND AT THE 

capture of manila 
Reminiscences of Life in Camp, Field and Hospital 

THRILLING SCENES ON THE RETURN OF OUR BRAVE HEROES; 
SOUL-STIRRING POEMS AND SONGS OF THE WAR, ETC. 

by HON. JAMES RANKIN YOUNG 

Member of Congress and for many years Clerk of the United States Senate 
IN COLLABORATION WITH 

J. HAMPTON MOORE 

The well-known Author and Newspaper Correspondent 

Profusely Embellished with Superb Engravings 

NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO,. 

239, 241 AND 243 AMERICAN ST., 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year iScg by 
J. R. JONES. 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D, C 
All Rights Reserved. 

two cows. Received. 



1 - 1899° \ 



TO THE 



Gallant Soldiers and Sailors 

of 

Our Army and Navy 

Whose Heroic Sacrifices and Superb Achievements 

gained for the stars and stripes such magnificent 
victories in our war with spain 

this volume 

Which Narrates in Glowing Terms the Thrilling Stories 
of their Splendid Triumphs 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

AS A HEARTFELT TRIBUTE BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 

TO THE 

HEROISM THAT PERFORMED PEERLESS DEEDS OF VALOR 
IN THE GREAT BATTLES ON SEA AND LAND 

IN 

Cuba, in the Philippines, and in Porto Rico 



Introduction. 



HEN war with Spain was forced upon us, a sense of horror 
ran through the people of the United States, and partic- 
y^jfLi^i ularly those whose recollections carried them back to the 
w terrible days of our Great Civil War. By many people 

the wisdom of a war, in which it was contended we had no direct 
interest, was seriously doubted. 

The United States had never engaged in a war upon foreign 
soil, except our trifling war with Mexico, and the conservative peo- 
ple of the country were fearful that the government was about to 
involve itself in an unnecessary quarrel which threatened enormous 
expense and great loss of life and valuable property, 

Congress, however, was not slow to grasp the situation, yield- 
ing promptly to the appealing cries of the down-trodden and op- 
pressed people of Cuba, and to the aggressive patriotism which was 
steadily gaining ground throughout the United States in favor of 
the emancipation of the poor wretches around whose necks the 
yoke of Spain was fastened. 

When war was finally declared and the scene shifted from one 
of argument to one of fact, there was no voice strong enough to 
stem the wave of enthusiasm which swept like wildfire all over our 
great country, it now became purely and solely a question of 
maintaining the honor of the flag. As to that there was positively no 
dispute and the call to arms found a ready and generous response 
from the sturdy patriots of every State of the Union. 

Battles followed in quick succession on sea and land, always 
with increasing honor to the gallant men who marched to the attack 
under the Stars and Stripes. Our brave soldiers did not know 
what would be the ultimate outcome of the war. Thev were figrht- 

iii 



iv 



INTRODUCTION. 



ing for the glory of their country, for humanity, and the applause of 
their friends at home. 

Step by step the war progressed, until the startled world saw 
the youngest of the great nations reaching out, in spite of tradition, 
over Eastern seas and far away Islands, which the average American 
never dreamed would fall to the lot of his country. 

All Europe stood amazed at the sweeping victories wherever 
the American flag was planted. The wonderful success of Admiral 
Dewey at Manila stirred the interest, if not the fear, of foreign po- 
tentates, as it had never been stirred before. The destruction of 
Cervera's fleet near Santiago, and the irresistible onslaughts of the 
American troops at La Quasina, El Caney and San Juan, not only 
excited to its highest pitch the enthusiasm of Americans at home 
and abroad, but rattled the dry bones of European monarchies, and 
necessitated an extension of the scope of the war from the mere 
liberation of Cuba, to one of the broadest humanitarian import. 

The hand of destiny guided the civilizing influences of the 
American spirit and gave point to the thought that the great cause 
of Christianity itself was to' finally triumph over the benighted coun- 
tries of the earth. 

One of the surprising results of the steady progress of the 
American arms was the effect upon the mother country, England. 
Never since the establishment of the colonies in America, did the 
British sentiment bring itself so heartily in accord with American 
purposes. It resulted in the suggestion of an alliance, which many 
of the great thinkers of the day look forward to, as an irresistible 
compact against which the assaults of the heathen world would be 
as paper bullets against the stoutest armor plate. 

Every incident of the war contributed to make it one of the 
most remarkable in history. The traditionally conservative United 
States government at one bound took front rank. The change in 
foreign policy was as startling as it was sudden, and the return of 
peace with great honor to the chivalry and the diplomacy of our 
nation, opened up new and broad questions which will command 
the attention, not so much of politicians, as of the wisest statesmen 
the country can produce. 



INTRODUCTION. 



v 



The glory of the war is fresh in our minds. The names of 
Dewey, Schley, Sampson, Miles, Roosevelt, Wheeler and Hobson, 
with many others, have become household words throughout the 
land. Their thrilling experiences and the daring of the brave men, 
both regulars and volunteers, who joined with them in the perilous 
exploits of the war, have made an imperishable impress upon the 
whole country, teaching a lesson in patriotism, which speaks volumes 
for the stability of our great country. 

No parallel exists for the unbroken series of victories that fol- 
lowed fast the opening of actual hostilities. The Spaniards were 
good fighters and " foemen worthy of our steel," but they were out- 
classed in every attribute of the soldier and sailor. The opportunity 
for the display of American courage was one for which the regular 
forces of the army and navy had long been waiting; it was one 
which the volunteers were only too eager to embrace. 

Words cannot adequately describe the emotions of the strong 
and active young men of America, who, being called, shouldered 
their arms, foil conscious of the gaze of the friends they held most 
dear in life. To use a homely expression, they had been " given the 
dare," and they soon demonstrated that death upon the field w T ould 
be preferable to a return in dishonor. It was the full force of 
American pluck and pride, as well as the strong physical force and 
unfailing skill of American brain and brawn, which wrested victory 
from the Spanish forces. 

In Manila, in Cuba and Porto Rico, the coveted chance for a 
test of American mettle was eagerly seized by those who had gone 
forth at great sacrifice for the glory of the flag. In no battle fought, 
in no deed done, daring and perilous as it might be, were men 
wanting to undertake the gravest and most dangerous exploits. 

The sinking of the Merrimac in the harbor of Santiago, stand- 
ing as a monument to Lieutenant Hobson and his daring crew, 
tells but half the story. There were hundreds of men upon the 
vessels of that fleet who would have given all their pay to have 
taken the place of any one of " the chosen few," but such was the 
eagerness of those who had been accepted to risk what seemed a 
certain death, that no money was sufficient to induce any one of 



vi 



INTRODUCTION. 



them to yield his privilege. When an army and a navy is made of 
stuff like this, the result can never be in doubt. 

Deplorable as war is, it may not be without its compensations. 
Our brief and glorious struggle has resulted in material advantages 
of conquest, but more than all, it has imparted to the rising genera- 
tion a lasting lesson in civic duty. The spirit of loyalty has never 
been more thoroughly aroused. The sectionalism, which threatened 
the disruption of the Union in 1861, has been banished forever. 
The cries of an enthralled and afflicted people have been answered 
and humanity has been redeemed. The government of the United 
States has shaken off its lethargic conservatism, and, yielding to the 
demands of civilization, yea, to the slogan of Christianity itself, has 
established a new and lasting prestige throughout the world. 

The best history is that which is based upon truth, and the his- 
tory of the war with Spain has been told from day to day through 
the great newspapers whose correspondents, with commendable 
fearlessness, have kept in daily touch with the marching soldier, and 
whose daring spirit has followed the gallant sailor in all his battles 
upon the sea. There is no testimony like that of the eye witness, 
and there is no story so thrilling as that narrated by an actual 
participant. 

In the succeeding pages, both History and Reminiscence have 
been collected in attractive form. The stories given have been 
gathered from the lips of the heroes themselves ; stories which once 
woven into the text books of the schools of the nation, will obtain 
for the brave contemporaries of cur own times, places in history 
along with those of our heroic forefathers. To these reminiscences, 
gathered fresh from the field, replete with interest, and breathing in 
every line the dutiful devotion of American soldiers and sailors, the 
historian of the next century must turn for his narrative. 

J R. Y. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. page 

ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S ACCOUNT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF CER- 

VERA'S FLEET 17 

CHAPTER II. 

ADMIRAL DEWEY'S STORY OF THE FAMOUS NAVAL VICTORY 

AT MANILA 30 

CHAPTER III. 

DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF THE GREAT BATTLE OF MANILA ... 52 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE CAPTAIN OF THE HUDSON TELLS OF THE FIRST AMERI- 
CANS KILLED IN OUR WAR WITH SPAIN 67 

CHAPTER V. 

EYE-WITNESSES VIVIDLY DESCRIBE THE FIRST BATTLES ON 

CUBAN SOIL 80 

CHAPTER VI. 

HOBSON TELLS THE THRILLING STORY OF THE SINKING OF 

THE MERRIMAC 99 

CHAPTER VII. 

ADMIRAL CERVERA TELLS OF THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE 

NEAR SANTIAGO 120 

CHAPTER VIII. 

NAVAL OFFICERS NARRATE THE STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT 140 

vii 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IX. page 

GENERAL WHEELER DESCRIBES THE ADVANCE OF THE AMER- 
ICAN ARMY ON SANTIAGO 161 

CHAPTER X. 

ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF LA QUASINA BY COLONELS 

WOOD AND ROOSEVELT 179 

CHAPTER XL 

ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES OF THEIR GRAND ACHIEVEMENTS . 191 

CHAPTER XII. 

THRILLING STORIES TOLD BY THE REGULARS 204 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ARMY OFFICERS PRAISE THE HEROISM OF OUR SOLDIERS AT 

THE BATTLES AROUND SANTIAGO 218 

CHAPTER XIV. 
STORIES OF CAMP, FIELD AND HOSPITAL BY THE VOLUNTEERS 235 

CHAPTER XV. 

GENERAL SHAFTER TELLS OF THE DOWNFALL OF SANTIAGO 

AND SURRENDER OF THE SPANISH ARMY . . . 248 

CHAPTER XVI. 

GRAPHIC ACCOUNTS BY NAVAL OFFICERS OF THE BOMBARD- 
MENT OF SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO 268 

CHAPTER XVII. 
GENERAL MILES' CAMPAIGN IN PORTO RICO 284 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

VICTORIOUS MARCH OF OUR SOLDIERS TO SAN JUAN, PORTO 

RICO , 307 



CONTENTS. 



IX 



CHAPTER XIX. 

STORY OF THE GALLANT FIGHT OF OUR ARMY AND NAVY AT 

MANILA 320 

CHAPTER XX. 

SURRENDER OF MANILA AFTER ATTACK OF DEWEY AND 

MERRITT 339 

CHAPTER XXI. 

CHIEF GOVERNMENT DETECTIVE'S STORY OF THE SPIES OF 

SPAIN AND HOW THEY WERE CAPTURED 359 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THRILLING STORIES OF THE WAR BY OUR BRAVE HEROES . . 375 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

STORIES OF THE CAMP, BATTLEFIELD AND HOSPITAL .... 401 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

VIVID ACCOUNT OF THE SIEGE OF SANTIAGO 416 

CHAPTER XXV. 

EXCITING EXPERIENCES OF OUR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS ... 429 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

HOSPITAL WORK IN CAMP AND AT THE BATTLE OF SANTIAGO 446 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

STORY OF CLARA BARTON AND THE NOBLE WORK OF THE 

RED CROSS 466 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

TROPHIES AND MEMENTOES OF THE WAR . . . 480 



x CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND 

IN CAMP 495 

POETRY AND SONGS OF THE WAR COMMEMORATING DEEDS 

OF HEROISM 509 

COLONEL ROOSEVELT'S OFFICIAL REPORTS ON THE BATTLE 

OF SAN JUAN 609 

PEACE JUBILEES 614 

OUR NEW POSSESSIONS, INCLUDING HAWAII AND THE PHILIP- 
PINE ISLANDS 620 

TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN 640 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 



Recognizing the very general desire of the readers of this volume to 
possess the Autographs of our Government Officials and Army and Navy 
Officers who have been prominent in our War with Spain, we append the 
following Signatures, which will always be regarded as valuable mementoes 
of their gallant and heroic services : 




President of the United States. 




Secretary of the Navy. 



Ex-Secretary of State and President of Peace Commissioners. 
Coronet, of the Rough Riders in the Battles Around Santiago 




AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 







Major-Genera^ U. S. V., Formerly U. S. Consul at Havana. 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 



Xlll 







Captain H- C. Taylor, U. S. N- 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 




» 



W. S. Schley, Rear Admiral U. S. N. 




AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 





J. W. Philip, Commander of Battleship Texas. 




Wesley Merritt, Major General U. S. A. 



XVI 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 






Wiluam Ludlow, Maj. Gen'l. U. S. V. 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 




xvui 



Mi AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. 



Hero of Manila. 




Hero of the Merrimac. 




Commander of the Marblehead. 



Joseph Wheeler, Major-General U. S. A. 
Colonel of the Rough Riders. 



AUTOGRAPHS OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS xix 





One of the Gallant Leaders in Battles Around Santiago. 
Ensign Worth Bagley, Killed on the Winslow, in Cardenas Harbor. 



Lieutenant Victor Blue, of the New York, who did Valuable Scouting Service 
During the Blockade of Santiago. 



Who Commanded the Launch sent to Rescue Hobson and His Men when they 

Sunk the Merrimac 




A Member of General Shafter's Staff, who Raised and Equipped a Battery at 
His own Expense, which was Sent to the Philippines. 



Thrilling Stories of the War. 

CHAPTER I. 

Admiral Schley* s Vivid Account of the Destruction of 

Cervera's Fleet. 

HE thrilling narratives of their experiences in battle which were 
furnished by many of our brave heroes on their return from the 
war will be read with intense interest. These are the statements 
of men who were in actual conflict and took part in the gallant 
deeds which have won the admiration of our whole country. The graphic 
stories of heroism and suffering have a wonderful reality when they come from 
the lips of those who were participants in the scenes they so vividly describe. 

Admiral Schley gave a description of the destruction of Cervera's fleet 
which contains facts not hithe:to related. The Admiral said: " I am certainly 
glad the war is over. I can tell you there is no fun in being under fire. 
When you hear a man say that he likes to fight you can tell him with truth 
that the liars are not all dead. I have been under fire many times, and let me 
say that I never knew what my emotions were during the ordeal. I realized 
after it was over that I was glad. But a man does not have an opportunity 
to like fighting. 

" How do I feel ? I have not yet recovered from my illness. I lost 
twenty pounds in two months. I attribute this to the awful strain while 
blockading Cervera's fleet and the engagement off Santiago. The concussion 
of the big guns on my own vessel was simply terrible. The feeling is inde- 
scribable, but my head is still buzzing, and it will be some time before I get 
straightened out. 

" I knew of Cervera's proposed move twenty-four hours before the 
squadron dashed out of the harbor. How did I know it? By intuition. I 
had studied the situation carefully, and was certain that Cervera must move 
within forty-eight hours. I watched every vessel in that fleet for three days 
before the dash was made. I not onlv watched them, but I knew every move 
they made. 

2 17 




18 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



"You see, we discovered that by watching a certain space away across the 
hills; we could see columns of smoke rise up into the air at certain periods. 
It was not hard to connect this smoke with the funnels of the vessels of the 
squadron, and thus I was kept informed as to their whereabouts. Every time 
one of the vessels moved the tell-tale smoke followed her course, and so did 
I. So all the night before the dqph was made a thousand pairs of sleepless 
eyes on board our vessels watched the mouth of the harbor as a cat watches 
a mouse. Not for one minute did we lose track of the Spanish squadron, and 
we were fully prepared for the dash. 

Ready to Give a Hot Reception. 

" One hour before the Spaniards appeared my quartermaster on the 
Brooklyn reported to me that Cervera's fleet was coaling up. This was just 
what I expected, and we prepared everything for a hot reception. Away over 
the hills great clouds of smoke could be faintly seen rising up to the sky. 
A little later and the smoke began to move towards the mouth of the harbor. 
The black cloud wound in and out along the narrow channel, and every eye 
on board the vessels in our fleet strained with expectation. The boys were 
silent for a full hour and the grim old vessels lay back like tigers waiting to 
pounce upon their prey. Suddenly the whole Spanish fleet shot out of the 
mouth of the channel. It was the grandest spectacle I ever witnessed. The 
flames were pouring out of t'he funnels, and as it left the channel the fleet 
opened fire with every gun on board. Their guns were worked as rapidly as 
possible, and shells were raining around like hail. 

" It was a grand charge. My first impression was that of a lot of mad- 
dened bulls, goaded to desperation, dashing at their tormentors. The storm 
of projectiles and shells was the hottest imaginable. I wondered where they 
all came from. Just as the vessels swung around the Brooklyn opened up with 
three shells, and almost simultaneously the rest of the fleet fired. Our volley 
was a terrible shock to the Spaniards, and so surprised them that they must 
have been badly rattled. When our fleet swung around and gave chase, we 
not only had to face the fire from the vessels, but were bothered by a cross- 
fire from the forts on either side, which opened up on our fleet as soon as the 
Spaniards shot out of the harbor. The engagement must have lasted three 
hours, but I hardly knew what time was. I remember crashing holes through 
the Maria Teresa, and giving chase to the Colon. 

" I was on the bridge of the Brooklyn during the whole engagement, and 
at times the smoke was so dense that I could not see three yards ahead of me. 
The shells from the enemy's fleet were whistling around and bursting every- 
where, except where they could do some damage. How did I feel ? I seemed 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



19 



to be the only thing on the vessel not protected by heavy armor, and oh! how 
I would have liked to get behind some of that armor! I don't know how I 
kept my head, but I do know that I surprised myself by seeing and knowing 
all that was going on, and I could hear my voice giving orders to do just 
what my head thought was right, while my heart was trying to get beneath 
the shelter of the armored deck. How do I account for such a victory with- 
so little loss ? That would mean how do I account for the rain of Spanish 
shell not doing more execution ? They fought nobly and desperately, but 
they had had no target practice, and did not know how to handle 
their guns. 

Shells Whistling and Bursting. 

" I tell you I was proud of the boys in our fleet during that engagement. 
They knew just what their guns could do, and not one shot was wasted. Their 
conduct was wonderful. It was inspiring. It was magnificent. Let me tell 
you that men who can stand behind big guns and face a black storm of shells 
and projectiles as coolly as though nothing was occurring; men who could 
laugh because a shell had missed hitting them; men who could bet one another 
on shots and lay odds in the midst of the horrible crashing; men who could 
not realize that they were in danger — such men are wonders, and we have a 
whole navy of wonders. 

" I am proud to command such a gallant lot of fellows. They are the 




On another occasion while talking of the destruction of Cervera's fleet 
off Santiago, Rear Admiral Schley said: u l took it for granted that every 
man on the ship was just as much interested in how the fight was going as I 
was, but the men behind the casements and those below decks, of course, 
could not see what was going on. During the battle I sent orderlies among 
them telling them what was happening, and what effect their shots were 
having. 

" Then, when the Vizcaya struck and only the Colon was left, I sent 
orderlies down to the stokeholes and engine-room, where the men were 
working away like heroes in the terrible temperature. ' Now, boys/ I sent 
them word, ' it all depends on you. Everything is sunk except the Colon, 
and she is trying to get away. We don't want her to, and everything depends 
on you.' They responded nobly, and we got her." 



20 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



Of the death of young Ellis, the only man kitted on the Brooklyn, the 
Rear Admiral said : k< He was a bright lad, from Brooklyn, who enlisted to 
go before the mast, but he was a hard worker, studied navigation with the 
younger officers of the ship, and had risen to the rank of yeoman. 

" As I stood talking with Captain Cook, while we were finishing the 
Vizcaya, it seemed that our shots were falling a little short. I turned to 
Ellis, who stood near, and asked him what the range was. He replied, 
'Seventeen hundred yards.' I have pretty keen eyesight, and it seldom 
deceives me as to distances, and I told him I thought it was slightly more 
than that. ' I just took it, sir, but I'll try again,' he said, and stepped off to 
one side about eight feet to get the range. 

Head Shot Away by a Shell. 

" He had just raised his instrument to his eye when a shell struck 
him full in the face and carried away all of his head above the mouth. A 
great deal of blood spurted around, and the men near were rattled for a 
moment. 

" Shells are queer things," said the Rear Admiral, after a moment's 
silence. " I noticed one man standing with his hand grasping a hammock 
rail as a shell struck the ship, ricocheted and burst. One piece of the metal 
cut the rail on one side of his hand, another on the other side, so that he was 
left standing with a short 'section of the rail still grasped in his hand. 
Another portion of the shell passed over his shoulder and another between 
his legs. He was surprised, but wasn't hurt." 

" If we could have gotten by the Brooklyn, and I believed we could," 
said Admiral Cervera to Commodore Schley and Captain " Bob " Evans, in 
the cabin of the Iowa, " I could have gotton away. My orders to concen- 
trate fire on the Brooklyn were carried out, but your ship has a charmed life, 
sir; " and the sad-faced admiral, with tears in his eyes, added: " My career is 
ended. I shall go-back to Spain to be killed or die in disgrace." 

Commodore Schley put out his hand and rested it on Cervera's shoulder. 
He speaks Spanish, and the liquid language flowed easily as he said : 
"Admiral, you are a brave man, and coming out, as you did, in the face of a 
superior force, is but an exemplification of that bravery. Your country can 
but do you honor." 

Commodore Schley added: " It is my opinion that the Spanish Admiral 
might have escaped with possibly one or two of his ships had he adopted 
different tactics in coming out of the harbor. Had he diverted the course of 
his ships, sending some to the east, and others to the west, it is my belief that 
he might have escaped with one or possibly two of the vessels. Such a 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



21 



course, naturally, would have compelled us to separate our fleet, and some of 
Cervera's ships might have been able to reach Havana." 

Rear Admiral Schley was the guest of honor at a banquet given by the 
Lotos Club, at its magnificent home on Fifth avenue, New York. Seated at 
the guests' table were Bishop Potter, Admiral Erben, Captain Sigsbee, Chaun- 
cey M. Depew, Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, Rev. Minot J. Savage, Captain 
A. T. Mahan and Admiral Schley. When Admiral Schley arose to speak he 
was accorded a tremendous ovation. He said : 

" I do not think I deserve so much praise as you are willing to accord 
me. I am simply a sharer in a great event and had the pleasure of assisting 
others to a result which has been glorious in our history. 

" It ought to be said that the matchless victory of the peerless Dewey on 
May i and that of July 3 at Santiago, supported by the beautiful work of our 
army in the field before Santiago, culminated the vigilance of the Navy 
Department and its officers. How well our work was done the wrecks lying 
on the eastern end of Cuba tell the better story. 

Felt Cervera Was Coming Out. 

" Curious how little things determine results. It had been the determi- 
nation of the fleet of Admiral Cervera to have left on the night of July 2. By 
some strange motion of telepathy I felt that an outward movement had been 
determined and decided to connect the after and forward engines of my ship. 
Yet I feared to be caught in an operation of hardly an hour; but I was told 
that the full speed of four engines and one half boiler power was greater than 
two engines and full boiler power, so I risked it. Much has to be risked in 
battle. It appeared that at the very hour I was occupying my mind with this 
question Cervera had planned his attempt to escape. 

" The discipline was so complete and the men off Santiago so vigilant that 
the movement of the enemy's fleet was simultaneously discovered on every 
ship. The moment chosen by Admiral Cervera was 9.30 o'clock in the morn- 
ing. He assumed that we would be at quarters and we were. In three min- 
utes the action had commenced. They came out in beautiful order, technically 
a column under high pressure of steam. Signals were made to close in and 
clear for action, followed by a general inward movement. Guns were opened. 

" Such a bombardment as followed in the next fifteen minutes rarely falls 
to the experience of any one. The batteries east and west of the harbor 
opened on the vessels. The firing was of a kind that can only come with 
modern rapid-firing guns. The storm of projectiles that passed about us was 
simply terrific. 

" I stood on the bridge to better determine which of three methods to 



22 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



pursue. The movement was made westward, the most vulnerable to the 
enemy. We followed at high speed until we determined that the attitude of 
the enemy was flight rather than fight. Fifteen minutes would have been lost 
had not this been the case, masking the enemy against our fire. The result 
in 29 minutes was that four of the enemy's ships were destroyed and on fire 
and in retreat to the beach and two remained, the Vizcaya and the Colon, who 
put their helms port and attempted to escape to the west, pursued by all our 
fleet except two, who remained behind for humanity's sake and to save life, 
which is common to civilized warfare. Fifty-nine minutes from the time the 
Teresa and the Oquendo commenced flight they suffered terribly. 

" It was the first time I have ever seen shingles literally fly from a ship. 
They were pierced by 100 projectiles, the water mains cut and set on fire. 
One shell alone killed and wounded thirty persons. The Colon steamed up 
out of range, and I directed Captain Cook, of the Brooklyn, to go to dinner, 
and the same signal was sent to the Oregon. Then I set to work the firemen 
and coal-heavers, those noble, silent, effective workers, upon whom effects 
were to depend. I stood on the bridge and I heard coming through the 
hatchways the song of ' Old John's body goes marching on,' while those ster- 
ling fellows were shoveling coal and we bounded forward. 

One of Clark's Railway Trains. 

" After thirty minutes of good feeding we gained so much on the Colon 
that I signaled Captain Clark, of the Oregon, to let go one of his railway 
trains. One of his thirteen-inch guns was fired and fell just astern. Then 
the Brooklyn fired an eight-inch shell, which fell about an equal distance 
ahead. Clark wig-wagged to me ' A little ahead.' I wig-wagged back, 1 A 
little astern.' Then came the query from Clark ' if she were not an Italian 
ship,' and I replied that I thought she wore other colors now. These were 
the pleasantries of the battle. 

"The third shot struck. Then the Brooklyn fired an eight-inch shell 
which struck on her quarter and wrecked the cabin and everything in it. We 
were then coming up within range. Seeing the dangerous ground he fired a 
gun to leeward and then ran his ship ashore. Captain Cook, flag captain, was 
sent to demand an unconditional surrender, which was granted. Some t ; me 
after the commander-in-chief came and the prize was turned over to him and 
a substantial report turned in. Commander Eaton at this juncture reported 
that the Pelayo had been seen on the coast and Admiral Sampson said : 
' Schley, take the Oregon and go east and finish up the job.' 

" We started and saw a vessel ahead .which bore all the earmarks of a 
Spaniard, and we felt that any Spaniard was on dangerous ground that day. 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



23 



A second report came from the Vixen that she had been examined from close 
range and that she was the Pelayo, and I signaled the commander that I 
would go west and engage her. She turned southwest. Then we thought 
we had a fight sure. Then we saw it was a turreted ship, not a battleship, 
such as the Pelayo. Our men were so educated by having the pictures of 
Spanish ships posted about our ship that one of them came up to me and 
said : 

" ' Admiral, that is not the Pelayo, but the Cardinal Cisneros,' and I said 
that was easy. We approached within 2,500 yards, and I saw a signal go up, 
and I wondered what the Spanish meant by signalling to us. Cook suggested 
that she wanted to know what had happened up on the beach. 

" Then we made her out the Marie Teresa, an Austrian battleship. Her 
commander visited us and said he wanted to go into Santiago to carry out 
German refugees. We told him to see the commander-in-chief the next morn- 
ing. He asked what was a safe distance to remain off shore. I told him ten 
miles and he said : ' 1 11 make it twenty to be sure,' and he did. Next day 
he sent a steam launch into the harbor. 

Our Gunners Without Peers. 

" It ought to be said of the men of our navy that our gunners are without 
peers. War shortens life, but there is no doubt that it broadens it. It has 
been said that every generation of men should defend the spurs they inherited. 
The same authority also said : ' Point me a nation that two generations have 
passed without war and you will point to one whose decadence has begun.' 
War is a necessary evil. It is to the modern body politic, medicine the same 
as the natural and corporal body has to take." 

An officer of our fleet at Santiago said the glory of this battle was not 
all due to the men on deck, but was equally due to the men below ; " upon 
whom dropped the hot saltpetre water from the sponging of the guns, making 
the decks slippery and burning blisters on the bare backs of the men under- 
neath, who, groping and choking, feeling their way through the dense smoke, 
go silently and obediently about their work with but one thought and aim in 
view — to keep those continually empty cars and hoists filled with powder and 
projectiles, not knowing how the battle is raging until a cheer is finally heard 
from deck ; their spirits brighten, and an old salt will exclaim, ' I guess they 
must have hit 'em that time.' 

" Then he goes up and sits on a large shell for good luck, or, as a yell 
is heard, ' Armor-piercing, quick ! ' and the shells are quickly changed, he 
takes an oily rag and rubs the cap of the projectile, saying : ' That'll make 
'er bite better,' and the young boy of the new navy, who has been in the 



24 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



service as many months as the old salt has years, exclaims to his shipmates, 
' Ah, what's he giving us ? ' 

" There were other heroes that day, men who never see the battle, but do 
the work that keeps everything in the ships in motion and take a risk greater 
than commodore or captain. When the Vizcaya had been sunk and beached 
that day, Captain Cook, having been ordered by Commodore Schley to cease 
firing, called the men from the handling rooms and the turret to take a breath 
of air while the chase of the Colon went on. But the battle was on for men 
not visible. Down beneath the protective belt, informed only of the glories 
of the day's fighting by Captain Cook's bulletin, through the speaking tube, 
men worked in a pit below the water in a temperature of over 160 degrees. 

" From the funnels the black smoke pouring forth told that stokers and 
coal-passers and firemen were working like fiends to give the ship more mo- 
mentum, so that the foe would be captured. At the engines Engineer Carter 
and his assistant, Mr. Patton, watched every pulsation and encouraged the 
men to greater effort to produce more steam. In the stoke holds men toiled 
amid fierce flames that licked out at them each time the doors opened for coal 
or the long slice bars went in. 

" Slowly the Brooklyn gained on the Colon, until the last Spanish flag 
went down. So did the Oregon. The fire and engineers' corps of the two 
ships had won the day and caught the last of the Spanish fleet." 

"Fighting Bob's" Story. 

Captain Evans' account of the battle, as he told it in the cabin of the bat- 
tleship Iowa, after the fight, is more interesting possibly than his official 
report. He said : 

" At the time ' general quarters' was sounded, the engine bell rang 
' full speed ahead,' and I put the helm to starboard, and the Iowa crossed 
the bows of the Infanta Maria Teresa, the first ship out. As the Spanish 
admiral swung to the^westward, the 12-inch shells on the forward turret of 
the Iowa seemed to strike him fair in the bow, and the fight was a spectacle. 
As the squadron came out in column, the ships beautifully spaced as to 
distance, and gradually increasing their speed to thirteen knots, it was 
superb. 

" The Iowa from this moment kept up a steady fire from her heavy guns, 
heading all the time to keep the Infanta Maria Teresa on her starboard bow, 
and hoping to ram one of the leading ships. In the meantime the Oregon, 
Indiana, Brooklyn and Texas were doing excellent work with their heavy 
guns, In a very short space of time the enemy's ships were all clear of the 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



25 



harbor mouth, and it became evidently impossible for the Iowa to ram either 
the first or the second ship on account of their speed. 

" The range at this time was two thousand yards from the leading ship. 
The Iowa's helm was immediately put hard to starboard, and the entire star- 
board port side was poured into the Infanta Maria Teresa. The helm was 
then quickly shifted to port and the ship headed across the stern of the 
Teresa in an effort to head off the Oquendo. All the time the engines were 
driving at full speed ahead. A perfect torrent of shells from the enemy 
passed over the smoke-stacks and superstructure of the ship, but none struck 
her. 

" The Cristobal Colon, being much faster than the rest of the Spanish 
ships, passed rapidly to the front in an effort to escape. In passing the Iowa 
the Colon placed two six-inch shells fairly in our starboard bow. One passed 
through the cofferdam and dispensary, wrecking the latter and bursting on 
the berth deck, doing considerable damage. The other passed through the 
side of the water line with the cofferdam, where it still remains. 

Ship Crowded to Utmost Speed. 

" As it was now obviously impossible to ram any of the Spanish ships 
on account of their superior speed, the Iowa's helm was put to the starboard, 
and she ran on a course parallel with the enemy. Being then abreast of the 
Almirante Oquendo, at a distance of 1,100 yards, the Iowa'a entire battery, 
including the rapid-fire guns, was opened on the Oquendo. The punishment 
was terrific. Many twelve and eight-inch shells were seen to explode inside 
of her, and smoke came out through her hatches. Two twelve-inch shells 
from the Iowa pierced the Almirante Oquendo at the same moment, one for- 
ward and the other aft. The Oquendo seemed to stop her engines for a mo- 
ment and lost headway, but she immediately resumed her speed and gradually 
drew ahead of the Iowa and came under the terrific fire of the Oregon and 
Texas. 

" At this moment the alarm of 1 torpedo-boats ' was sounded, and two 
torpedo-boat destroyers were discovered on the starboard quarter at a dis- 
tance of four thousand yards. Fire was at once opened on them with the 
after battery, and a twelve-inch shell cut the stern of one destroyer squarely 
off. As this shell struck, a small torpedo-boat fired back at the battleship, 
sending a shell within a few feet of my head. I said to Executive Officer 
Rogers, ' That little chap has got a lot of cheek.' Rogers shouted back, ' She 
shoots very well all the same.' 

" Well up among the advancing cruisers, spitting shots at one and then 



26 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



at another, was the little Gloucester, shooting first at a cruiser and then at a tor- 
pedo-boat and hitting a head wherever she saw it. The marvel was that she 
was not destroyed by the rain of shells. 

" In the meantime the Vizcaya was slowly drawing abeam of the Iowa, 
and for the space of fifteen minutes it was give and take between the two ships. 
The Vizcaya fired rapidly but wildly, not one shot taking effect on the Iowa, 
while the shells from the Iowa were tearing great rents in the sides of the 
Vizcaya. As the latter passed ahead of the Iowa she came under the mur- 
derous fire of the Oregon. At this time the Infanta Maria Teresa and the 
Almirante Oquendo, leading the enemy's column, were seen to be heading 
for the beach and in flames. The Texas, Oregon, and Iowa pounded them 
unmercifully. They ceased to reply to the fire, and in a few moments the 
Spanish cruisers were a mass of flames and on the rocks, with their colors 
down, the Teresa flying a white flag at the fore. 

Two Spanish Ships on Fire. 

" The crews of the enemy's ship stripped themselves and began jumping 
overboard, and one of the smaller magazines began to explode. Meantime 
the Brooklyn and the Cristobal Colon were exchanging compliments in lively 
fashion and at apparently long range, and the Oregon, with her locomotive 
speed, was hanging well on to the Colon, also paying attention to the Viz- 
caya. The Teresa and the Oquendo were in flames on the beach just 
twenty minutes after the first shot was fired. Fifty minutes after the first 
shot was fired the Vizcaya put her helm to port with a great burst of flame 
from the after part of the ship, and headed slowly for the rocks at Acceredos, 
where she found her last resting place. 

"As it was apparent that the Iowa could not possibly catch the Cristobal 
Colon and that the Oregon and Brooklyn undoubtedly would, and as the 
fast New York was also on her trail, I decided that the calls of humanity 
should be answered and attention given to the 1,200 or 1,500 Spanish officers 
and men who had struck their colors to the American squadron commanded 
by Admiral Sampson. I therefore headed for the wreck of the Vizcaya, now 
burning furiously fore and aft. When I was in as far as the depth of water 
would admit, I lowered all my boats and sent them at once to the assistance 
of the unfortunate men, who were being drowned by dozens or roasted on 
the decks. I soon discovered that the insurgent Cubans who were on the 
shore would not allow the men who were struggling in the water to reach 
the shore. I immediately put a stop to this, but I could not put a stop 
to the mutilation of many bodies by the sharks inside the reef. These 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



2V 



creatures had become excited by the blood from the wounded mixing in the 
water. 

" My boats' crews worked manfully and succeeded in saving many of the 
wounded from the burning ship. One man, who will be recommended for 
promotion, clambered up the side of the Vizcaya and saved three men from 
burning to death. The smaller magazines of the Vizcaya were exploding 
with magnificent cloud effects. The boats were coming alongside in a steady 
string and willing hands were helping the lacerated Spanish officers and 
sailors on to the Iowa's quarterdeck. All the Spaniards were absolutely 
without clothes. Some had their legs torn off by fragments of shells. Others 
were mutilated in every conceivable way. 

Superb Examples of Heroism. 

"The bottoms of the boats held two or three inches of blood. In many 
cases dead men were lying in the blood. Five poor chaps died on the way to 
the ship. They were afterwards buried with military honors from the Iowa. 
Some examples of heroism, or more properly devotion to discipline and duty 
could never be surpassed. One man on the lost Vizcaya had his left arm 
almost shot off just below the shoulder. The fragments were hanging by a 
small piece of skin. But he climbed unassisted over the side and saluted as 
if on a visit of ceremony. Immediately after him came a strong hearty 
sailor, whose left leg had been shot off above the knee. He was hoisted 
on board the Iowa with a tackle, but never a whimper came from him. Gra- 
dually the mangled bodies and naked men accumulated until it would have 
been almost difficult to recognize the Iowa as a United States battleship. 

" Blood was all over her usually white quarterdeck; and 272 naked men 
were being supplied with water and food by those who a few minutes before 
had been using a rapid-fire battery on them. Finally came the boats with 
Captain Eulate, commander of the Vizcaya, for whom a chair was lowered 
over the side, as he was evidently wounded. The Captain's guard of marines 
was drawn up on the quarterdeck to salute him, and I stood waiting to wel- 
come him. As the chair was placed on deck the marines presented arms. 
Captain Eulate slowly raised himself in the chair, saluted me with grave 
dignity, unbuckled his sword belt, and, holding the hilt of the sword before 
him, kissed it reverently, with tears in his eyes, and then surrendered it to me. 

" Of course, I declined to receive his sword, and, as the crew of the Iowa 
saw this, they cheered like wild men. As I started to take Captain Eulate 
into the cabin to let the doctors examine his wounds, the magazines on board 
the Vizcaya exploded with a tremendous burst of flame. Captain Eulate, 



28 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



extending his hands, said.: 'Adios, Vizcaya. There goes my beautiful ship, 
Captain ; ' and so we passed on to the cabin, where the doctors dressed his 
three wounds. In the meantime 30 officers of the Vizcaya had been picked 
up, besides 272 of her crew. Our ward room and steerage officers gave up 
their state rooms and furnished food, clothing and tobacco to those naked 
officers from the Vizcaya. The Paymaster issued uniforms to the naked 
sailors ; and each was given all the corned beef, coffee and hard tack he could 
eat. The war had assumed another aspect. 

Wounded Prisoners on the Gloucester. 

et As I knew the crews of the first two ships wrecked had not been 
visited by any of our vessels, I ran down to them. I found the Gloucester 
with Admiral Cervera and a number of his officers aboard and also a 
large number of wounded, some in a frightfully mangled condition. Many 
prisoners had been killed on shore by the fire of the Cubans. The Harvard 
came off, and I requested Captain Cotton to go in and take off the crews of 
the Infanta Maria Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo, and by midnight the 
Harvard had 976 prisoners aboard, a great number of them wounded. 

il For courage and dash there is no parallel in history to this action of the 
Spanish Admiral. He came, as he knew, to absolute destruction. There 
was one single hope. That was .that the Cristobal Colon would steam faster 
than the Brooklyn. The spectacle of two torpedo-boat destroyers, paper 
shells at best, deliberately steaming out in broad daylight in the face of the 
fire of battleships can only be described in one way. It was Spanish, and it 
was ordered by Blanco. The same must be said of the entire movement. 

" In contrast to the Spanish fashion was the cool, deliberate Yankee work. 
The American squadron was without sentiment apparently. The ships went 
at their Spanish opponents and literally tore them to pieces. I took Admiral 
Cervera aboard the Iowa from the Gloucester, which had rescued him, and 
received him with a full Admiral's guard. The crew of the Iowa crowded aft 
over the turrets, half naked and black with powder, as Cervera stepped over 
the side bareheaded. Over his undershirt he wore a thin suit of flannel, bor- 
rowed from Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright, of the Gloucester. The 
crew cheered vociferously. Cervera is every inch an Admiral, even if he had 
not any hat. He submitted to the fortunes of war with a grace that pro- 
claimed him a thoroughbred. 

" The officers of the Vizcaya said they simply could not hold their crews 
at the guns on account of the rapid fire poured upon them. The decks were 
flooded with water from the fire hose, and the blood from the wounded made 



ADMIRAL SCHLEY'S VIVID STORY. 



29 



this a dark red. Fragments of bodies floated in this along the gun deck 
Every instant the crack of exploding shells told of new havoc. One of the 
1 2-inch shells from the Iowa exploded a torpedo in the Vizcaya's bow, blow- 
ing twenty-one men against the deck above and dropping them dead and 
mangled into the fire which at once started below. 

" The torpedo boat Ericsson was sent by the flagship to the help of the 
Iowa in the rescue of the Vizcaya's crew. Her men saw a terrible sight. 
The flames leaping out from the huge shot holes in the Vizcaya's sides licked 
up the decks, sizzling the flesh of the wounded who were lying there shriek- 
ing for help. Between the frequent explosions there came awful cries and 
groans from the men pinned in below. This carnage was chiefly due to the 
rapidity of the American fire. Corporal Smith, of the Iowa, fired 135 aimed 
shots in fifty minutes from a 4-inch gun. Two shells struck within ten feet 
of Smith and started a small fire, but the Corporal went on pumping shots 
into the enemy, only stopping to say, ' They've got it in for this gun, sir.' 

Eight Shots a Minute. 

" From two 6-pounders 400 shots were fired in fifty minutes. Up in the 
tops the marines banged away with 1 -pounders, too excited to step back to 
duck as the shells whistled over them. One gunner of a secondary battery 
under a 12-inch gun was blinded by smoke and saltpetre from the turret, and 
his crew were driven off, but sticking a wet handkerchief over his face, with 
holes cut for his eyes, he stuck to his gun. Finally, as the 6-pounders were 
so close to the 8-inch turret as to make it impossible to stay there with safety, 
the men were ordered away before the big gun was fired, but they refused to 
leave. When the 8- inch gun was fired the concussion blew two men of the 
smaller gun's crew ten feet from their guns and threw them to the deck as 
deaf as posts. Back they went again, however, and were again blown away, 
and finally had to be dragged away from their stations. Such bravery and 
such dogged determination under the heavy fire were of frequent occurrence 
on all the ships engaged. 

" During his stay on the Iowa Admiral Cervera endeared himself to all. 
After Blanco's order was issued he wanted to come out on the night of July 
2d, but General Linares said, ' Wait till to-morrow morning. You will catch 
them at divine service then.' The Spaniards say that no torpedo boats ever 
came out to attack Admiral Sampson's fleet. 




CHAPTER II. 



Admiral Dewey's Story of the Famous Naval Victory at 

Manila. 

HE whole country was startled by the unexpected news of the great 
American naval victory at Manila. It was not known that naval 
operations were going on in the far East, yet, while the popular 
attention was focused on events in Cuba as being nearer home. 
Admiral Dewey had been grimly carrying out the orders given him. 

On May 1st the world was astounded by a brief cablegram — unofficial — 
that Admiral Montojo's fleet, at Manila, had been utterly destroyed. The cable 
to the Philippine Archipelago was a Spanish one, and the ominous slience at 
Madrid served to corroborate the early rumors. It was not until Dewey's 
messenger reached Hong Kong two days later, however, that the news of his 
victory was officially confirmed. 

" Not one Spanish flag flies in Manila bay to-day; not one Spanish warship 
floats except as our prize," was Admiral Dewey's soul-stirring message that 
enthused the nation and startled the European powers. 

An echo almost of Perry's* famous bulletin, " We have met the enemy 
and they are ours," and in truth Dewey's achievement proved to have no other 
parallel in history than Perry's famous victory on Lake Erie in 1813, unless 
it be Farragut's attack on the forts in Mobile Bay in 1864, for which the cre- 
ation of the office of vice-admiral was not deemed too high a reward, and in 
which the gallant hero of Manila had taken part. 

Through the British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, who desired 
him to leave Hong Kong Harbor without delay, did Commodore Dewey first 
hear, on Sunday, ApriL24th, that a state of war existed between this country 
and Spain. 

His squadron, consisting of the Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Petrel, 
Concord, Boston, with the revenue cutter McCulloch and the supply ships 
Nanshan and Zafiro, was ordered to rendezvous at Mirs Bay, thirty miles dis- 
tant, and being compelled to wait there for the arrival of the United States 
Consul at Manila, did not leave anchorage until the 27th; but when it did 
so, it was with the commander's openly expressed determination to fight the 
enemy the very first day he could get at them. 

The Island of Luzon was passed on April 30th, and the arrival of the 
20 



STORY OF MANILA. 



31 



American fleet was at once cabled to Manila, even as their leaving Hong Kong 
had undoubtedly been announced in hastily written despatches to the Span- 
iards at that place. 

Still, the commander of the Spanish fleet either miscalculated our speed 
or perchance doubted our coming, for, when the Concord and Boston were 
sent forty miles away to reconnoitre Subig Bay (where he had planned to meet 
and annihilate us), not a ship of his was found there. 




ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 

On receipt of this information the commodore signaled for a council of 
war and it was decided to run the batteries at the entrance of Manila Bay at 
midnight. 

Corregidor Island, at the mouth of the bay, many miles from the city, 
was reached at the appointed time; and now, cautiously, noiselessly, and 
without any light but a hooded sternlight on each ship to guide the following 
one, our squadron entered the channel. 



32 



STORY OF MANILA. 



Rockets fired from the summit of the Corregidor and answered from the 
mainland prompted the fear that we had been discovered; it was a false alarm; 
but presently, when the six fighting ships had passed the island fort, and now 
showed their sternlights not to their followers only, but to the enemy, blind- 
ing flashes from the outermost mainland battery, immediately followed by a 
shot, and another and a third, made it plain that we no longer advanced 
unseen. 

Three shots from the Concord, the Boston and the McCulloch, however, 
silenced the fort; and through the darkness of the cloudy night we steamed 
slowly forward, the men lulled to rest at their stations on deck by the peaceful 
roiling of the midnight tropical sea, the commanders bending their every 
thought on the encounter which was now felt to be imminent and of uncertain 
duration. 

By five o'clock Manila lay four miles ahead of the advancing fleet to the 
eastward ; Cavite, with its arsenals and naval depot, was on their right, seven 
miles from the capital. A harmless shot greeted them from Manila, while on 
their starboard a roar of guns was heard, from Cavite ; there it was that the 
enemy lay; there they should attack him forthwith. 

Ships Were Kept Moving. 

And now, the faithful pupil of Farragut, who had displayed such judg- 
ment in the planning of the nightly invasion of the bay, his selection of the 
channel south of Corregidor Island, and his safe piloting of his squadron 
within sight of the foe, now set about giving the world one more illustration 
of the advantage possessed by battling ships kept in motion over vessels at 
anchor. 

Swinging round in Indian file, our six battleships first made straight for 
the fort, under whose protection the Spaniards lay ; then facing the fire that 
poured upon the batteries, and soon after from the Spanish ships, to and fro 
they steadily wheekd in front of the little harbor, describing a weird figure 
eight in that cyclone of shell and shot, and belching forth incessant broadsides 
now from the port-side and then from the starboard. 

Out of her hiding-place came the Spanish admiral's flagship, the Reina 
Christina, only to prove her inability to withstand the storm of steel directed 
upon her ; and as she endeavored to make a hasty retreat, a shell from the 
Olympia completely wrecked her. A second sortie by the Spanish admiral 
aboard another flagship (the Isla de Cuba) shared the same fate, and the 
deathly havoc went on with appalling relentlessness for two hours, when lo, 
the United States flagship Olympia was seen moving towards the centre of 
the bay, followed by her subordinates. 



MAJOR-GENERAL W. R. SHAFTER 

Commander of Our Army in the Santiago Campaign 



LIEUTENANT RICHARD WAINWRIGHT ENSIGN WORTH BAGLEY 

COMMANDER OF THE GLOUCESTER KILLED ON THE WINSLOW IN CARDENAS HARBOR 




LIEUTENANT VICTOR BL 'E 

FAMOUS F. R SCOUTING SERVICE AT SANTIAGO 



ENSIGN JOSEPH W. POWELL 

SENT TO RESCUE HOBSON AND HIS MEN 




COPYRIGHT, 1898 BY I. D. BOYCE 

MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER 
Commander of thf. Cavalry Division of General Shafter'S Army 



SHIPS OF Tl 

NASHVILLE 2. DETROIT 3. HELENA 4. NEWARK 5. BENNINGTON 
11. COLUMBIA 12. MONTEREY 13. IOWA 14. WYANDOTTE 15. BALTIM 




MAJOR-GENERAL HAMILTON S. HAWKINS 

Hero of the Famous Charge at San Juan 



COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY GEO G. ROCKWOOD, 

COLONEL THEODORE ROOSEVELT 

Celebrated Commander of the Rough Riders 




BRIGADIER-GENERAL LEONARD WOOD 

MILITARY GOVERNOR (.F SANTIAGO 



THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN-HELD UP ATTHE CORNER 
KNOWN AS "BLOODY ANGLE" 



MAJOR-GENERAL H. W. LAWTON 



STORY OF MANILA. 



38 



What could the Spaniards conclude but that, calamitous as the encounter 
had proved to them, it must have been equally disastrous to the Americans ? 
The up-to-date Krupp guns on yonder shore batteries had evidently chastised 
the invader's temerity ; for were not these finer and larger than any gun in 
their fleet ? And see, the " Yankee pigs " were, one and all, retiring from the 
fray. Not one of the gallant ships, however, had been seriously injured; 
among our brave fellows not one precious life had been lost; their com- 
mander had simply come to the conclusion that they had earned a little rest, 
and he was taking them out of the clouds of smoke and the stifling heat of 
the battle for the commonplace, unheroic purpose of giving them their 
breakfast. 

The foe had apparently forgotten, if ever they had read of it, how, on the 
1st of June, 1794, the British admiral, Earl Howe, hove to for an hour, so as 
to enable his men to fortify themselves with a sustantial meal, before attack- 
ing the French offUshant and routing them, as they subsequently did. Our 
gallant and indomitable Dewey was now but perpetuating the traditions of 
Anglo-Saxon humaneness and Anglo-Saxon practical forethought in Manila, 
— that was all. 

Back to the charge our men returned with renewed energy at 10.45 ,after 
a three hours' recess ; back to the duel of desperation on one side and the 
composure of self-confidence on the other, which was soon to shatter the last 
remnants of Admiral Montojo's hopes. 

One after another his ships were sunk, burned, or captured ; one by one 
his batteries were silenced, and in the noon-day sun of that May day, the 
last of the Spanish flags struck on Cavite fort. In one day Spain had lost ten 
warships, not to speak of her torpedo boats and transports, and some 1200 of 
her defenders were killed or wounded. Not one death on our side had 
marred our victory ; eight of the Baltimore crew had paid for their bravery 
with more or less trifling wounds, and the injury done to our nine battleships 
was not thought to exceed $5,000. 

An Insolent Spanish Governor. 

Exactly seven days before this epoch-making engagement, Governor- 
General Basilio Augustin y Davila had issued a proclamation to the Philip- 
pines, in which the following passage held a prominent place : 

" The North American people, constituted of all the social excrescences, 
have exhausted our patience and provoked war with their perfidious machina- 
tions, with their acts of treachery and with their outrages against the laws of 
nations and international treaties. 

" A squadron, manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor 
3 



34 



STORY OF MANILA. 



discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago with the ruffianly intention 
of robbing us of all that means life, honor and liberty. 

"The struggle will be short and decisive. The God of victories will give 
us one as complete as the righteousness and justice of our cause demands." 

Verily, one portion of General Augustin's prophecy had proved remark- 
ably accurate. The struggle had been indeed " short and decisive ; " one 
single battle had sufficed to wrench from Spain the unholy dominion she had 
held continuously over those islands (save for the British occupation of 
Manila for a few months last century) ever since the name of Philip II. was 
bestowed upon them three hundred years ago. 

" You may fire when ready, Gridley," will pass into history as the quiet 
order from Commodore Dewey to the captain of the flagship, which heralded 
one of the greatest naval battles the world has ever seen. 

Admiral Dewey's orders were to capture or destroy the Spanish fleet, and 
never were instructions executed in so complete a fashion. At the end of 
seven hours there was absolutely nothing left of the Spanish fleet but a few 
relics. 

The American commander had most skillfully arranged every detail of 
the action, and even the apparently most insignificent features were carried out 
with perfect punctuality and in railroad time-table order. 

At the end of the action Admiral Dewey anchored his fleet in the bay, 
before Manila, and sent a message to the Governor- General, General Augusti 
announcing the inauguration of the blockade, and adding that if a shot was 
fired against his ships he would destroy every battery about Manila. 

Spanish Advantage Unavailing. 

The position occupied by the Spaniards, the support which their ships 
received from the land batteries, and the big guns they had ashore, gave them 
an enormous advantage. Therefore, when it is considered that the Spaniards 
lost over six hundred men in killed and wounded, that all their ships were 
destroyed and that their naval arsenal at Cavite was also destroyed, with its 
defences, it is apparent that the victory of the Americans is one of the most 
complete and wonderful achievements ever yet recorded in the history of 
naval warfare. 

Not a man on board the American fleet was killed, not a ship was 
damaged to any extent, and only six men were injured slightly on board the 
Baltimore. 

This grand achievement is quite as much due to the generalship of 
Admiral Dewey as to the fact that the American gunners, ships and guns are 
superior to anything in the same line afloat anywhere. Credit must also be 



STORY OF MANILA. 



35 



given to the fullest extent to the officers under Admiral Dewey, for, to a man, 
they seconded their gallant commander in every way possible and thus helped 
him earn the laurels which are so justly his. 

When the squadron left Hong Kong it touched at a point in the Philippine 
Islands near Bolinao, as Admiral Dewey wished the insurgent agents to dis- 
embark there, ascertain the strength and disposition of the insurgent forces, 
arrange to prevent needless bloodshed and inform the insurgents of his inten- 
tion to change the government of the Philippine Islands, the Admiral strongly 
objecting to giving the rebels a chance to commit excesses. 

Hunting the Spanish Fleet. 

The insurgent leaders, however, refused to disembark under any consid- 
eration, and the American ships coasted in search of the Spanish ships, but 
failed to find them. Admiral Dewey arrived at Subig Bay, about thirty miles 
north of Manila Bay, on Saturday, April 30th, and sent the Baltimore and 
Concord to reconnoitre the enemy. They found no Spanish ships at the 
entrance of the bay, and so the Admiral decided to risk the mines and pro- 
ceed that same night after it became dark into the bay of Manila, which he 
accordingly did. 

The order of battle taken up by the Spaniards was with all the small craft 
inside the stone and timber breakwaters of Cavite harbor. The larger ships of 
Spain cruised off Cavite and Manila. The American fleet entered Manila 
Bay on Saturday night with the greatest of ease. The Spaniards had not 
established a patrol and there were no searchlights at the entrance of the bay. 
In fact, the American ships would probably have passed inside the bay with- 
out any challenge, had it not been that some sparks flew up from the McCul- 
loch's funnel. Thereupon a few shots were exchanged with the batteries on 
Corregidor Island, but the fleet did not slow down and soon took up a posi- 
tion near Cavite, awaiting dawn in order to commence hostilities. 

The early hours of the morning revealed the opposing ships to each other 
and the Spanish flagship opened fire. Her action was followed by some of 
the larger Spanish warships, and then the Cavite forts opened up and the 
smaller Spanish vessels brought their guns into play. 

The American squadron which had been led into the bay and through 
the channel by the flagship Olympia did not reply, though the shells of the 
Spaniards began to strike the water around them, but moved majestically 
onward. When nearing Baker Bay a sudden upheaval of water a short dis- 
tance ahead of the Olympia showed that the Spaniards had exploded a mine 
or a torpedo. This was followed by a second and similar explosion. They 
were both utterly unsuccessful. The American fleet was then drawing nearer 



36 



STORY OF MANILA. 



and nearer to the Spaniards, whose gunnery was very poor, the shots from the 
Cavite batteries and from the Spanish ships being equally badly aimed, either 
falling short or going wide of the mark. It was a tremendous waste of 
ammunition just when most wanted. 

The Order of Battle. 

When the American fleet entered the bay, coming through the southern 
channel between Caballo and Frile Islets, the following was their order: the 
flagship Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh, Concord, Boston, Petrel and 
McCulloch, with the two store ships, the Nanshan and Zafiro, bringing up 
the rear. And in that order they swept grandly before the city and faced the 
enemy in column line. Though the Spaniards had opened fire at 6000 yards, 
the Americans reserved their fire until within 4000 yards of the enemy, when 
the real battle began. The Reina Christina, Castilla, Don Antonio de Ulloa, 
Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon and the Mindanao were in line of battle outside 
of Cavite at that time, with four gunboats and the torpedo boats inside the 
harbor. The American ships then passed backward and forward six times 
across the front of the Spaniards, pouring in upon the latter a perfect hail of 
shot and shell. Every American shot seemed to tell, while almost every 
Spanish shot missed the mark. 

After having thus scattered death and demoralization among the Spanish 
fleet and in the Spanish batteries, the American fleet retired for breakfast 
and, incidentally, a council of war was held on board the Olympia. By this 
time the Spanish ships were in a desperate condition. The flagship Reina 
Christina was riddled with shot and shell, one of her steam pipes had burst 
and she was believed to be on fire. The Castilla was certainly on fire, and* 
soon afterward, their condition became worse and worse, until they were 
eventually burned to the water's edge. 

The Don Antonio de Ulloa made a most magnificent show of desperate 
bravery. When her commander found she was so torn by the American 
shells that he could not keep her afloat, he nailed her colors to the mast and 
she sank with all hands fighting to the last. Her hull was completely riddled 
and her upper deck had been swept clean by the awful fire of the American 
guns, but the Spaniards, though their vessel wa^: sinking beneath them, con- 
tinued valorously working the guns on her lower deck until she sank beneath 
the waters. 

During the engagement a Spanish torpedo boat crept along the shore 
and round the offing in an attempt to attack the American store ships, but 
she was promptly discovered, was driven ashore and was actually shot to 
pieces. The Mindanao had in the meanwhile been run ashore to save her 



STORY OF MANILA. 



37 



from sinking and the Spanish small craft had sought shelter from the steel 
storm behind the breakwater. 

The battle, which was started at about 5.30 A. m., and adjourned at 8.30 
A. m., was resumed about noon, when Admiral Dewey started in to put the 
finishing touches to his glorious work. There was not much fight left in the 
Spaniards by that time, and at 2 p. m. the Petrel and Concord had shot the 
Cavite batteries into silence, leaving them heaps of ruins and floating the 
white flag. 

The Spanish gunboats were then scuttled, the arsenal was on fire and 
the explosion of a Spanish magazine caused further mortality among the 
defenders of Spain on the shore. On the water the burning, sunken or 
destroyed Spanish vessels could be seen, while only the cruiser Baltimore had 
suffered in any way from the fire of the enemy. A shot which struck her 
exploded some ammunition near one of her guns and slightly injured half a 
dozen of the crew. 

Spaniards Shot at Dewey. 

Several shots passed dangerously close to Admiral Dewey, but little or 
no damage was done on board the flagship. On the other hand, about 150 
men are said to have been killed on board the Spanish flagship, which was 
totally destroyed. Admiral Montojo, the Spanish commander, transferred his 
flag to the Isla de Cuba when his ship caught fire, but the latter was destroyed 
also in due course of time. The Reina Christina lost her captain, a lieu- 
tenant, her chaplain and a midshipman by one destructive shot which struck 
her bridge. 

About 100 men were killed and sixty wounded on board the Castilla. 
Indeed, some estimates place the number of Spanish wounded during the 
engagement at over a thousand men. The Olympia was struck five times 
about her upper works, and a whaleboat of the Raleigh was smashed. 
Although the Krupp guns on the esplanade of Manila were fired continuously 
during the engagement, Admiral Dewey did not reply to them, and the bat- 
tery afterward hoisted a white flag in token of surrender. 

Says an eye-witness : " Throughout the great battle of Sunday, the fleet 
acted splendidly. No ship failed to cover itself with glory. The greatest 
execution was done by the Olympia and Baltimore, owing to the greatest 
weight of the guns. 

" The little Petrel, ' no bigger than a minute,' had a most spectacular 
part. She went in like a battleship, and, lying close to the shore, completely 
whipped a good-sized fort unaided. Every officer ought to have promotion 
for gallantry, and Woods, commander of the Petrel, should receive the thanks 
of Congress. 



38 



STORY OF MANILA. 



" The Spaniards' information regarding our fleet was grievously faulty. 
They believed the Boston was a battleship, and concentrated their fire on 
her. She lies so low in the water that they could not hit her effectively. 
They believed the Olympia was the Oregon, which had come directly across 
to join the fleet, and the first report from Manila after our fleet was sighted 
was that the Philadelphia comprised part of the fleet. Notwithstanding their 
lack of knowledge, they fought like the brave men they were, only they could 
not shoot straight. 

" Admiral Dewey fought the fleet from the top of the pilot house. 
During the action ninety signals were given and all were answered by the 
other ships. The forward rigging was cut four feet above Dewey's head by 
a six-pound shot The signal halyards were shot away while Lieutenant 
Brumby was signalling. 

" On the Boston seven men were on the bridge with Captain Frank 
Wildes. A shell crossed the bridge two feet above their heads and burst 
beyond the rigging, driving the base plug back on board. Wildes stood at 
his post, his glasses in one hand and a palmleaf fan in the other, and smoked. 
Between the shots Paymaster Martin made and served out coffee. Ensign 
Doddridge's room was on fire by the bursting of a shell. 

" The Olympia shows nine shots, none of which pierced her hull. The 
little Petrel is now the pride of the fleet. Her light draught enabled her to 
get close to the forts, where Woods fearlessly ran in. She has been christened 
' The Baby.' The cruiser Baltimore led the fleet to the forts. In the second 
engagement she was ordered to go at top speed and silence the batteries. 
She went directly over the mines. Two exploded on each side, the nearest 
within 100 yards. No damage was done. While Wildes was absent at con- 
ference Woods heard of his close call, and on his return the whole ship 
cheered Captain Frank to the echo." 

Admiral Dewey's Own Account. 

Among the first mail advices from Manila the War Department at 
Washington received the following letter from Admiral Dewey : 

"Flagship Olympia, Cavite, May 4, 1898. 

" The squadron left Mirs Bay on April 27. Arrived off Bolinao on the 
morning of April 30, and, finding no vessels there, proceeded down the coast 
and arrived off the entrance to Manila Bay on the same afternoon. The Bos- 
ton and Concord were sent to reconnoitre Port Subig, A thorough search of 
the port was made by the Boston and the Concord, but the Spanish fleet was 
not found. 



STORY OF MANILA. 



39 



" Entered the south channel at half-past eleven p. m., steaming in column 
at eight knots. After half the squadron had passed a battery on the south 
side of the channel opened fire, none of the shots taking effect. The Boston 
and McCulloch returned the fire. The squadron proceeded across the bay 
at slow speed and arrived off Manila at daybreak, and was fired upon at a 
quarter past five A. m. by three batteries at Manila and two near Cavite, and 
by the Spanish fleet anchored in an approximately east and west line across 
the mouth of Baker Bay, with their left in shoal water in Canacao Bay 

Beginning the Attack. 

"The squadron then proceeded to the attack, the flagship Olympia 
under my personal direction, leading, followed at a distance by the Baltimore, 
Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston, in the order named, which formation 
was maintained throughout the action. The squadron opened fire at nineteen 
minutes of six a. m. While advancing to the attack two mines were exploded 
ahead of the flagship too far to be effective. 

" The squadron maintained a continuous and precise fire, at ranges vary- 
ing from 5,000 to 2,000 yards, counter-marching in a line approximately 
parallel to that of the Spanish fleet. The enemy's fire was vigorous, but gen- 
erally ineffective. 

Quite early in the engagement the two launches put out towards the 
Olympia with the apparent intention of using torpedoes. One was sunk and 
the other disabled by our fire and beached before an opportunity occurred to 
fire torpodoes. 

" At seven a. m. the Spanish flagship Reina Christina made a desperate 
attempt to leave the line and come out to engage at short range, but was 
received with such galling fire, the entire battery of the Olympia being con- 
centrated upon her, that she was barely able to return to the shelter of the 
point. Fires started in her by our shells at this time were not extinguished 
until she sank. 

" The three batteries at Manila had kept up a continuous fire from the 
beginning of the engagement, which fire was not returned by this squadron. 
The first of these batteries was situated on the south mole head, at the 
entrance to the Pasig River ; the second on the south bastion of the walled 
city of Manila, and the third at Malate, about one-half mile further south. At 
this point I sent a message to the Governor General to the effect that if the 
batteries did not cease firing the city would be shelled. This had the effect 
of silencing them. 

" At twenty-five minutes to eight a. m. I ceased firing and withdrew the 
squadron for breakfast. At sixteen minutes past eleven a. m. returned to the 



40 



STORY OF MANILA. 



attack. By this time the Spanish flagship and almost the entire Spanish fleet 
were in flames. At half-past twelve p. m. the squadron ceased firing, the bat- 
teries being silenced and the ships sunk, burnt and deserted. At twenty min- 
utes to one p. m. the squadron returned and anchored off Manila, the Petrel 
being left behind to complete the destruction of the smaller gunboats, which 
were behind the point of Cavite. This duty was performed by Commander 
E. P. Wood in the most expeditious and complete manner possible. 

" The Spanish lost the following vessels : Sunk — Reina Christina, Castilla, 
Don Antonio de Ulloa. Burnt — Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Luzon, Isla de 
Cuba, General Lezo, Marquis del Duero, El Correo, Velasco and Isla de 
Mindanao (transport). Captured— Rapido and Hercules (tugs), and several 
small launches. 

" I am unable to obtain complete accounts of the enemy's killed and 
wounded, but believe their losses to be very heavy. The Reina Christina 
alone had 150 killed, including the captain, and ninety wounded. I am 
happy to report that the damage done to the squadron under my command 




Another Account of the Battle. 



The story of the battle of Manila Bay was retold officially by United 
States Consul O. F. Williams, in a report to the Department of State, dated 
on board the United States steamship Baltimore, in Manila Bay, May 4. 
Because this story is told by a civilian as he saw the events of May day from 
the bridge of the Olympia and from the quarter deck of the Baltimore, it has 
a special and captivating interest of its own which makes it additionally force- 
ful. He begins by telling how the American ships slipped into the harbor 
and lined up for battle off Cavite. 

He adds: "At about 5.30 a. m. Sunday, May i,the Spanish guns opened 
fire. With magnificent coolness and order, but with the greatest promptness, 
our fleet, in battle array, headed by the flagship, answered the Spanish attack, 
and for about two and a half hours a most terrific fire ensued. 

"The method of our operations could not have shown greater system, our 
guns greater effectiveness, or our officers and crews greater bravery, and while 
Spanish resistance was stubborn and the bravery of Spanish forces such as to 
challenge a demonstration, yet they were out-classed, weighed in the balance 
of war against the methods, training, aim and bravery shown on our decks, 
and after less than three hours' perilous and intense combat one of Spain's 



STORY OF MANILA. 



41 



war ships was sinking, two others were burning and all others with land 
defences had severely suffered when our squadron, with no harm done its 
ships, retired for breakfast. At about 
renewed the battle, 



10 o'clock A. m. Admiral Dewey 




and with effect 
most fatal with 
each evolution. 

c< No better evi- 
dence of Spanish 
bravery need be 
sought than that, 
after the castiga- 
tion of our first 
engagement, her 
ships and forts 
should again an- 
swer our fire. But 
the Spanish efforts 
were futile, ship 
after ship and bat- 
tery after battery 
went to destruc- 
tion before the on- 
slaught of Ameri- 
can energy and 
training, and an 
hour and a half of 
our second engage- 
ment wrought the 
annihilation of the 
Spanish fleet and 
forts, with several 
hundred Spaniards 
killedand wounded 
and millions in 

value of their Government's property destroyed. While amazing, almost 
unbelievable as it seems, not a ship or gun of our fleet had been disabled, 
and, except on the Baltimore, not a man had been hurt. 

" One of the Baltimore's crew had a leg fractured by slipping, and 
another hurt in the ankle in a similar manner, while four received slight 



MAP OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



42 



STORY OF MANILA. 



flesh wounds from splinters thrown from a 6-inch projectile, which pierced 
the starboard side of the cruiser. But in the battle of Manila Bay the United 
States squadron of six war ships totally destroyed the Spanish fleet of eight 
war ships, many forts and batteries, and accomplished this work without the 
loss of a man. 

" History has only contrasts. There is no couplet to form a comparison. 
The only finish fight between the modern war ships of civilized nations has 
proven the prowess of American naval men and methods, and the glory is 
allegory for the whole people. Our crews are all hoarse from cheering, and 
while we suffer for cough drops and throat doctors we have no use for lini- 
ment or surgeons. 

Praise for Officers and Men. 

" To every ship, officer and crew all praise be given. As Victoria was 
answered years ago, ' Your Majesty, there is no second,' so may I report to 
your Department as to our war ships conquering the Spanish fleet in the bat- 
tle of Manila Bay, there is no first, ' there is no second.' The cool bravery 
and efficiency of the commodore was echoed by every captain and com- 
mander and down through the lines by every officer and man, and naval 
history of the dawning century will be rich if it furnishes to the world so 
glorious a display of intelligent command and successful service as must be 
placed to the credit of the United States Asiatic Squadron under date of May 
I, 1898. 

" It was my lot to stand on the bridge of the Baltimore, by the side of 
Captain Dyer, during the first engagement, and to be called to the flag ship 
Olympia by the commodore, at whose side on the bridge I stood during the 
second engagement." 

Special interest attaches to the account of the great naval battle at Man- 
ila by the Spanish commander. In his official report Admiral Montojo 
speaking of the recent naval engagement in Manila Bay, refers to it in the 
following language^ : 

" The Americans fired most rapidly. There came upon us numberless 
projectiles, as the three cruisers at the head of the line devoted themselves 
almost entirely to fight the Christina, my flag-ship. A short time after the 
action commenced one shell exploded in the forecastle and put out of action 
all of those who served the four rapid fire cannon, making splinters of the 
forward mast, which wounded the helmsman on the bridge, when Lieutenant 
Jose Nunez took the wheel with a coolness worthy of the greatest commen- 
dation, steering until the end of the fight. 

" In the meanwhile another shell exploded in the orlap, setting fire to the 
crew's bags, which they were, fortunately, able to control. The enemy short- 



STORY OF MANILA. 



43 



ened the distance between us, and, rectifying his aim, covered us with a rain 
of rapid-fire projectiles, 

" At half-past seven one shell destroyed completely the steering gear. 
I ordered to steer by hand while the rudder was out of action. In the mean- 
while another shell exploded on the poop and put out of action nine men. 




ADMIRAL MONTOJO, COMMANDER OF THE SPANISH FLEET. 
Another destroyed the mizzenmast head, bringing down the flag and my 
ensign, which were replaced immediately. 

" A fresh shell exploded in the officer's cabin, covering the hospital with 
blood, destroying the wounded who were being treated there. Another ex- 
ploded in the ammunition room astern, filling the quarters with smoke and 
preventing the working of the hand-steering gear. As it was impossible to 
control the fire, I had to flood the magazine when the cartridges were begin- 
ning to explode. 



44 



STORY OF MANILA. 



" Amidships several shells of smaller calibre went through the smokestack, 
and one of the large ones penetrated the fire-room, putting out of action one 
master gunner and twelve men serving the guns. Another rendered useless 
the starboard bow gun. While the fire astern increased, fire was started 
forward by another shell, which went through the hull and exploded on 
the deck. 

" The broadside guns, being undamaged, continued firing until there 
were only one gunner and one seaman remaining unhurt for firing them, as 
the guns' crews had been frequently called on to substitute those charged 
with steering, all of whom were out of action. 

" The ship being out of control, the hull, smokepipe and masts riddled 
with shot, half of her crew out of action, among whom were seven officers, I % 
gave the order to sink and abandon the ship before the magazines should 
explode, making signal at the same time to the Cuba and Luzon to assist in 
saving the rest of the crew, which they did, aided by others from the Duro 
and the arsenal. 

Ships Battered and Sunk. 

u I abandoned the Christina, directing beforehand to secure her flag, and, 
accompanied by my staff, and with great sorrow, I hoisted my flag on the 
cruiser. Isla de Cuba. After having saved many men from the unfortunate 
vessel, one shell destroyed her heroic commander, Don Luis Cadaraso, who 
was directing the rescue. The Ulloa, which also defended herself firmly, using 
the only two guns which were available, was sunk by a shell, which entered at 
the water line, putting out of action her commander and half of her remaining 
crew, those who were only remaining for the service of the two guns stated. 

" The Castilla, which fought heroically, with her artillery useless, except 
one stern gun, with which they fought spiritedly, was riddled with shot and 
set on fire by the enemy's shells, then sunk, and was abandoned by her crew, 
in good order, which was directed by her commander, Don Alonzo Algaro. 
The casualties on this ship were twenty-three killed and eighty wounded. 

" The Austria, was very much damaged and on fire, and went to the aid 
of the Castilla. The Luzon had three guns dismounted and was slightly 
damaged in the hull. The Duro remained, with one of her engines useless, 
the bow gun and one of the redoubts. 

"At eight o'clock in the morning, the enemy's squadron having suspended 
its fire, I ordered the ships that remained to us to take situations in the bottom 
of the roads, at Bacoor, and there to resist to the last moment, and that they 
should be sunk before they surrendered. 

"At half past ten the enemy returned, forming a circle to destroy the 
arsenal, and the ships which remained to me, opening upon them a horrible 




45 



46 



STORY OF MANILA. 



fire, which we answered as far as we could with the few cannon which we still 
had mounted. 

There remained the last recourse — to sink our vessels — and we accom- 
plished this operation, taking care to save the flag, the distinguishing pennant, 
the money in the safe, the portable arms, the breech plugs of the guns, and 
the signal codes, after which I went, with my staff, to the convent of Santo 
Domingo de Cavite to be cured of a wound received in the left leg, and to 
telegraph a brief report of the action, with preliminaries and results. 

" The inefficiency of the vessels which composed my little squadron, the 
lack of all classes of the personel, especially master gunners and seaman gun- 
ners, the inaptitude of some of the provisional machinists, the scarcity of 
rapid-fire cannon, the strong crews of the enemy, and the unprotected char- 
acter of the greater part of our vessels, all contributed tc make more decided 
the sacrifice which we made for our country." 

Story of a Jolly Sailor. 

In Admiral Dewey's fleet there was a sailor man named William Savage, 
familiarly known to his fellows, no doubt, as Bill. The said Bill, who was a 
member of the Raleigh's crew, was so delighted with the victory of the fleet 
over the Dons that he proceeded to get gloriously full. He was found by his 
superior officers in a condition where about the only thing that could be got 
out of him was " Hurrah and hurroo,'' and a summary court-martial was 
summoned to try him. 

The court-martial found that Bill's conduct was in serious violation of 
the discipline of the fleet, and sentence was passed that Bill should be con- 
fined for fifteen days in chains, with an allowance of but one ration a day. 
Before the sentence was put into execution the findings of the court were 
submitted to Commodore Dewey. This is what Commodore Dewey wrote 
on them, as shown by the record which arrived in Washington later. 

" The proceedings of the court are approved; the sentence is disapproved, 
and the accused, William Savage, is ordered to return to his post in consider- 
ation of the glorious victory won by the fleet under my command. 

u Commodore Dewey, 

" Commanding the American Asiatic Fleet." 

There are no particulars given in the proceedings as to where Sailor 
Savage got the whiskey with which he had his glorious celebration. Probably 
he brought some of his guns to bear upon one of the bars of Cavite. Be that 
as it may, the opinion of the officials at the Navy Department was one of 
approval of Admiral Dewey's course in overlooking Sailor Savage's breach of 



STORY OF MANILA. 



47 



discipline, under the circumstances. The incident has convinced the officials 
at the Navy Department that, while Admiral Dewey has been most modest 
in all his reports bearing upon the achievement of his fleet, he is concealing 
a vast amount of jubilation. 

The following graphic account of the battle, under date of May 1st, is 
by an eye-witness who was on board Admiral Dewey's flagship, and furnishes 
details of the engagement supplementary to those given in the foregoing 
pages : 

" Not one Spanish flag flies in Manila Bay to-day. Not one Spanish 
warship floats except as our prize. More than two hundred Spanish dead 
and five hundred to seven hundred wounded attest the accuracy of the 
American fire. 

"Commodore Dewey gallantly attacked the Spanish position at Cavite 
this morning. He swept five times along the line, and scored one of the 
most brilliant successes in modern warfare. That our loss is trifling adds to 
the pleasure of victory without detracting from' its value. The number of hits 
our vessels received proved how brave and stubborn was the defence made 
by the Spanish forces. Miraculous as it may appear, none of our men were 
killed, and only eight wounded. Those who were wounded suffered only 
slight injuries . 

" Commodore Dewey arrived off Manila Bay last night, and decided to 
enter the bay at once. With all its lights out, the squadron steamed into 
Bocagrande, with crews at the guns. This was the order of the squadron, 
which was kept during the whole time of the first battle : the flagship 
Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, the Concord, the Boston. 

Rapid Exchange of Shot and Shell. 

" It was just eight o'clock, a bright moonlight night, but the flagship 
passed Corregidor Island without a sign being given that the Spaniards were 
aware of its approach. Not until the flagship was a mile beyond Corregidor 
was a gun fired. Then one heavy shot went screaming over the Raleigh and 
the Olympia, followed by a second, which fell further astern. The Raleigh, 
the Concord and the Boston replied, the Concord's shells exploding apparently 
exactly inside the shore battery, which fired no more. Our squadron slowed 
down to barely steerage way, and the men were allowed to sleep alongside 
their guns. 

" Commodore Dewey had timed our arrival so that we were within five 
miles of the city of Manila at daybreak. We then sighted the Spanish 
squadron. Rear-Admiral Montojo commanding, off Cavite. Here the Span- 
iards had a well-equipped navy yard, called Cavite Arsenal. Admiral Montojo's 



48 



STORY OF MANILA. 



flag was flying on the 3,500 ton protected cruiser Reina Christina. The pro- 
tected cruiser Castilla, of 3,200 tons, was moored ahead and astern to the port 
battery, and to seaward were the cruisers Don Juan de Austria, Don Antonio 
de Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, Quiros, Marquis del Onero, and 
General Lezox. These ships and the flagship remained under way during 
most of the action. 

" With the United States flag flying at all their mastheads, our ships 
moved to the attack in line ahead, with a speed of eight knots, first passing 
in front of Manila, where the action was begun by three batteries mounting 
guns powerful enough to send a shell over us at a distance of five miles. The 
Concord's guns boomed out a reply to these batteries with two shots. No 
more were fired, because Admiral Dewey could not engage with these bat- 
teries without sending death and destruction into the crowded city. As we 
neared Cavite two very powerful submarine mines were exploded ahead of 
the flagship. This was at six minutes past five o'clock. The Spaniards had 
misjudged our position. Immense volumes of water were thrown high in air 
by these destroyers, but no harm was done to our ships. 

Dashing Ahead in Spite of Torpedoes. 

" Admiral Dewey had fought with Farragut at New Orleans and Mobile 
Bay, where he had his first experience with torpedoes. Not knowing how 
many more mines there might be ahead, he still kept on without faltering. 
No other mines exploded, however, and it is believed that the Spaniards had 
only these two in place. 

" Only a few minutes later tho shore battery at Cavite Point sent over the 
flagship a shot that nearly hit the battery at Manila, but soon the guns got a 
better range, and the shells began to strike near us or burst close aboard from 
both the batteries and the Spanish vessels. The heat was intense. Men 
stripped off all clothing except their trousers. 

" As the Olyrnpia drew nearer, all was silent on board as if the ship had 
been empty, except for the whirr of blowers and the throb of the engines. 
Suddenly a shell burst directly over us. From the boatswain's mate at the 
after 5 -inch gun came a hoarse cry. ' Remember the Maine! ' arose from the 
throats of five hundred men at the guns. The watchword reverberated 
through turrets and firerooms, and was caught up wherever seaman or fire- 
man stood at his post. 

" ' Remember the Maine ! " had rung out for defiance and revenge. Its 
utterance seemed unpremeditated, but was evidently in every man's mind, 
and, now that the moment had come to make adequate reply to the murder 
of the Maine's crew, every man shouted what was in his heart. 



STORY OF. MANILA, 



49 



"The Oiympia was now ready to begin the fight. Admiral Dewey, his 
chief of staff, Commander Lamberton, and aide and myself, with Executive 
Officer Lieutenant Rees and Navigator Lieutenant Calkins, who conned ship 
most admirably, were on the forward bridge. Captain Gridley was in the 
conning tower, as it was thought unsafe to risk losing all the senior officers 
by one shell. ' You may fire when ready, Gridley,' said the Admiral, and at 
nineteen minutes of six o'clock, at a distance of 5,500 yards, the starboard 
8-inch gun in the forward turret roared forth a compliment to the Spanish 
forts. Presently similar guns from the Baltimore and the Boston sent 250- 
pound shells hurling toward the Castilla and the Reina Christina for accuracy. 
The Spaniards seemed encouraged to fire faster, knowing exactly our dis- 
tance, while we had to guess theirs. Their ship and shore guns were making 
things hot for us. 

Showers of Fragments. 

" The piercing scream of shot was varied often by the bursting of time 
fuse shells, fragments of which would lash the water like shrapnel or cut our 
hull and rigging. One large shell that was coming straight at the Olympia's 
forward bridge fortunately fell within less than one hundred feet away. One 
fragment cut the rigging exactly over the heads of Lamberton, Rees and 
myself. Another struck the bridge gratings in line with it. A third passed 
just under Dewey and gouged a hole in the deck. Incidents like these were 
plentiful. 

" Our men naturally chafed at being exposed without returning fire from 
all our guns, but laughed at danger and chatted good humoredly. A few 
nervous fellows could not help dodging mechanically when shells would burst 
right over them or close aboard, or would strike the water and passed over- 
head, with the peculiar spluttering roar made by a tumbling rifled projectile. 
Still the flagship promptly steered for the very centre of the Spanish line, and, 
as our other ships were astern, the Oiympia received most of the Spaniards' 
attention. 

" Owing to our deep draught Dewey felt constrained to change his course 
at a distance of four thousands yards and run parallel to the Spanish column. 
' Open with all guns,' he said, and the ship brought her port broadside bear- 
ing. The roar of all the flagship's 5 -inch rapid firers was followed by a deep 
diapason of her after turret 8-inchers. Soon our other vessels were equally 
hard at work, and we could see that our shells were making Cavite harbor hotter 
for the Spaniards than they had made the approach for us. 

" Protected by their shore batteries and made safe from close attack by 
shallow water, the Spaniards were in a strong position. They put up a 
4 



50 



STORY OF MANILA. 



gallant fight. The Spanish ships were sailing back and forth behind the 
Castilla, and their fire, too, was hot. One shot struck the Baltimore and 
passed clean through her, fortunately hitting no one. Another ripped up her 
main deck, disabled a 6-inch gun and exploded a box of 3-pounder ammuni- 
tion, wounding eight men. 

'The Olympia was struck abreast the gun in the wardroom by a shell 
which burst outside, doing little damage. The signal halyards were cut from 
Lieutenant Brumby's hand on the after bridge. A shell entered the Boston's 
port quarter and burst in Ensign Doddridge's stateroom, starting a hot fire, 
and fire was also caused by a shell which burst in the port hammock netting. 
Both these fires were quickly put out. Another shell passed through the 
Boston's foremast just in front of Captain Wildes, who at the time was stand- 
ing on the bridge. 

" After having made four runs along the Spanish line, finding the chart 
incorrect, Lieutenant Calkins, the Olympia's navigator, told the Commodore 
he believed he could take the ship nearer the enemy, with lead going to watch 
the depth of water. The flagship started over the course for the fifth time, 
running within two thousand yards of the Spanish vessels. At this range even 
6-pounders were effective, and the storm of shells poured upon the unfortu- 
nate Spanish began to show marked results. Three of the enemy's vessels 
were seen burning and their fire slackened. 

Stopping the Battle for Breakfast. 

" On finishing this run Admiral Dewey decided to give the men break- 
fast, as they had been at the guns two hours with only one cup of coffee to 
sustain them. Action ceased temporarily at twenty-five minutes of eight 
o'clock, the other ships passing the flagship and the men cheering lustily. 
Our ships remained beyond range of the enemy's guns until ten minutes of 
eleven o'clock, when the signal for close action went up. The Baltimore had 
the place of honor in the lead, with the flagship following and the other ships 
as before. 

u The Baltimore began firing at the Spanish ships and batteries at sixteen 
minutes past eleven o'clock, making a series of hits as if at target practice. 
The Spaniards replied very slowly, and the Admiral signalled the Raleigh, 
the Boston, the Concord and the Petrel to go into the inner harbor and de- 
stroy all the enemy's ships By her light draught the little Petrel was en- 
abled to move within one thousand yards. Here, firing swiftly but accurately, 
she commanded everything still flying the Spanish flag-. Other ships were 
also doing their whole duty, and soon not one red and yellow ensign remained 
aloft, except on a battery up the coast. 



STORY OF MANILA. 



51 



" The Spanish flagship and the Castilla had long been burning fiercely, 
and the last vessel to be abandoned was the Don Antonio de Ulloa, which 
lurched over and sank. 

" Then the Spanish flag on the Arsenal staff was hauled down, and at 
half-past twelve o'clock a white flag was hoisted there. Signal was made to 
the Petrel to destroy all the vessels in the inner harbor, and Lieutenant 
Hughes, with an armed boat's crew, set fire to the Don Juan de Austria, the 
Marquis del Duero, the Isla de Cuba and the Correo. The large transport 
Manila and many tugboats and small craft fell into our hands. 

" ' Capture and destroy Spanish squadron,' were Dewey's orders. Never 
were instructions more effectually carried out. Within seven hours after 
arriving on the scene of action nothing remained to be done. The Admiral 
closed the day by anchoring off the city of Manila and sending word to the 
Governor General that if a shot was fired from the city at the fleet he would 
lay Manila in ashes." 

The foregoing account by an eye-witness conveys a clear idea of Dewey's 
tactics, courage and overwhelming triumph. It describes a naval engage- 
ment and victory that will live in the annals of our country. 



CHAPTER III. 



Admiral Dewey's Men Tell of the Great Battle of Manila. 

MONG the passengers who arrived at San Francisco on the Belgic 
from Hong Kong were four men who participated in the fight of 
Manila, on May I. They were paymaster G. A. Loud, of the dis- 
patch boat McCulloch ; Dr. Charles P. Kindleberger, surgeon of 
the Olympia ; Ralph Phelps, secretary to the captain of the McCulloch, and 
J. C. Evans, gunner of the Boston. 

They all spoke of the valor and determination of their opponents in the 
battle of Manila. They said that the Spaniards fought bravely, even after the 
last vestige of hope had gone, and stayed by their guns as long as they could 
be used. Dr. Kindleberger gave a graphic account of the terrific fight. He 
was on the Olympia through it all. In the first assault the flagship took the 
lead, the other vessels following in her wake at four ships' lengths. At one 
time the smoke became so dense that it was necessary to draw aside, allowing 
the cloud to lift. The vessels were examined, and it was found they had sus- 
tained no damage. 

Breakfast was then served to the men, and in a few minutes they re- 
entered the fight with the greatest enthusiasm. The second fight was even 
more fierce than the first. It was in that that the Baltimore was struck. 

During the first fight the Spanish admiral's ship put bravely out of the 
line to meet the Olympia. The entire American fleet concentrated fire on 
her, and she was so badly injured that she turned around to put back. At 
this juncture the Olympia let fly an 8-inch shell, which struck her stern and 
pierced through almost her entire length, exploding finally in the engine 
room, wrecking her machinery. This shell killed the captain and sixty men 
and set the vessel on fire. 

In the heat of the fight the two torpedo boats moved out to attack the 
fleet. They were allowed to come within 800 yards, when a fusilade from the 
Olympia sent one to the bottom with all on board and riddled the other. 
The second boat was later found turned upon the beach covered with blood. 
In the second fight the Baltimore was sent to silence the fort at Cavite. She 
plunged into a cloud of smoke and opened all her batteries on the fortifica- 
tions. In a very few minutes a shell struck the ammunition and the fort blew 
up with a deafening roar. 
52 




DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



53 



The work on the Baltimore was glorious. After the principal ships of 
the enemy had been destroyed, the Concord, Raleigh and Petrel, being of 
light draught, were sent in to handle the remaining vessels of the fleet. They 
made quick work of them. In taking possession of the land forts several 
hundred wounded Spaniards fell into the hands of the Americans and nearly 
200 dead were accounted for on the spot. Holes in which numbers had been 
hastily buried were found. The dead were returned to relatives so far as this 
could be done, and the wounded were cared for in the best manner by the 
American surgeons. 

After the first battle the Americans were greatly fagged out by heat, and 
the rest and breakfast allowed them by the Commodore was of inestimable 
benefit. When the men were at breakfast, a conference of all officers was held 
on board the Olympia, when the plan of the second battle was made known 
by the Commodore. 

Several shots struck the Olympia and she was pierced a number of times. 
One shell struck the side of the ship against the hospital ward. The chaplain 
and nurses who were watching the fight through a port hole a few inches 
away were stunned by the concussion. 

Experts have figured out the fighting volume of the guns of the respect- 
ive sides of the battle was three for the Americans against seven for Spanish. 
It is clear then, that the superiority was in the ships and the men, the latter 
having the experience and nerve. Gunner Evans, of the Boston, directed the 
fire of one of the big guns. Not a man on the Boston received a scratch. 

Steady Thunder of Cannon. 

Paymaster Loud, who was on the McCulloch, during the battle and was 
a witness of events on both sides, furnishes an interesting account of the 
battle. From his position he could see every movement of the American 
ships and could also see the Spaniards. 

4< For two hours," said Mr. Loud, " the steady thunder of cannon was 
kept up. The roar was something terrible. At one time, I really thought 
we would be beaten. This was after the fire had been kept up an hour. It 
looked like every gun on the Spanish ships had turned loose on us all toge- 
ther and the shore line was a veritable blaze of fire from the batteries. The 
din was simply indescribable. Tons upon tons of shot fell over our ships. 
There was steel enough to have sunk our entire fleet. 

"Our salvation was in the bad marksmanship of the Spaniards. They 
handled their pieces like children. Nearly all of their shots went wide. 
Most of them were high, flying over the fleet and falling into the bay beyond. 
Some of the batteries, however, were better trained. Several guns maintained 



54 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



a raking fire on the fleet. Nearly all of our ships were struck by both large 
and small shot, but no damage of consequence was done. 

" We left Manila on the 5th. At that time Commodore Dewey was in 
possession of the shore forts and arsenal. Considerable ammunition and some 
fair guns were captured. 

" Manila, on the opposite side of the bay, had not been taken, and it was 
not the intention of the admiral to do so at that time. Of course the city and 
its suburbs were completely at the mercy of our guns and we could have laid 
it in ruins in a very short time. But the force on the warships is too small to 
land and take possession." 

A letter from Manila said the Spaniards were so sure of whipping the 
Americans that they had prepared a prison for them. It was the infamous 
Black Hole of Manila, where so many insurgents were smothered to death 
in 1897. 

The letter briefly adds : " Living aboard the vessels is simply awful on 
account of the extreme heat which we are bound to endure. In addition to 
the heat of this place everything on board ship is at fever heat, with fires kept 
constantly up in four boilers and everything closed up. You can have no 
idea what it is." 

Spaniards Sure They Gould Defeat the Yankees. 

In a letter to a friend in New York an engineer of the Baltimore wrote, 
a week after the fight : " The Spaniards were absolutely confident of victory. 
No other outcome was anticipated by them : no preparations were made for 
a different result. I think that their ships, combined with their forts, made 
them equal to us, so far as powers of offence and defence were concerned. 
They had as many modern guns approximately the same size as we had, and 
more men to fire them. They should have been able to fire as much weight 
of shot in a specified time as we did. 

" The whole thing, in other words, lay in the fact that it was the Ameri- 
can against the Spaniard, the Anglo-Saxon against the Latin. Every shot 
fired from our fleet was most deliberately, coolly and pitilessly aimed. The 
Spaniards fired an enormous number of times, but with apparently the most 
impracticable aim. Shells dropped all around our ships ; we were in action 
for over four hours ; hundreds of shot and shell fell close to us. Only five or 
six pierced us and they did no damage. 

" The damage done by our ships was frightful. I have visited all of the 
sunken Spanish ships, and, had I not seen the effects of American marksman- 
ship, I would hardly give credit to reports of it. One smokestack of the 
Castilla, a 3, 300- ton Spanish ship, was struck eight times, and the shells 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



55 



through the hull wer? so many and so close that it is impossible that a 
Spaniard could have lived on her deck. The other large ship, the Reina 
Christina, was perforated in the same way. 

" The lesson I draw from the fight is the great utility of target practice. 
The Spaniard has none ; we have it every three months. Strength of navies 
are compared generally ship for ship; the personnel is just as important. I 
am confident that, had we manned the Spanish ships and had the Spaniards 
manned our fleet, the American side would have been as victorious as it was. 
The Spaniard certainly was brave, for he stuck to his guns till the last. 

" The hard part of this engagement was not the fighting part, that was all 
right, but it was in getting ready for it. I was thirty-two hours without 
relief or rest in the engine-rooms of the Baltimore, the temperature varying 
from 1 20 to 160 degrees. Since the fight we have eased down on work and 
are taking it easy, except for a strict watch." 

Too Late to Save the Islands. 

A most gloomy message was received by the Government at Madrid, 
on May 8th, from the Governor General of the Philippines. As the result a 
member of the Cabinet admitted that the despatch of Spanish troops could not 
save the Philippine Islands. He added : " We could send six thousand 
troops; but, if the natives are against us such a force would be inadequate. 
If they were with us, it would not be necessary to send troops to the Philip- 
pine Islands." 

A communication from Captain General Augusti was as follows : u The 
situation is very grave. Aguinaldo has succeeded in stirring up the country, 
and the telegraph lines and railways are being cut. I am without communica- 
tion with the provinces. The province of Cavite has completely rebelled, and 
the towns and villages are occupied by numerous bands. A Spanish column 
defends the Zapote line to prevent the enemy from invading the province of 
Manila, but the foe has entered through Bulacon, Lagina and Moron, so that 
Manila will thus be attacked by land and sea. 

"I am striving to raise the courage of the inhabitants, and will exhaust 
every means of resistance, but I distrust the natives and the volunteers 
because there have already been many desertions. Bacoor and Imus have 
already been seized by the enemy. The insurrection has reached great pro- 
portions, and if I cannot count upon the support of the country the forces at 
my disposal will not suffice to hold the ground against two enemies." 

An interesting letter was received at Easton, Pa., by Judge Scott 
from his son, Ensign W. Pitt Scott, of Admiral Dewey's flagship Olympia, 
describing the great victory in Manila Bay on Sunday morning, May 1st. 



56 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



Ensign Scott was especially commended by Admiral Dewey in his official 
report for his efficient work during the conflict. The letter is dated on board 
the Olympia, at Cavite, Manila Bay, on May nth. The writer, telling of the 
opening of the famous fight, said : 

" The Spaniards had ten ships fighting to our six, and, in addition, had 
five or six shore batteries, some of which bothered us a good deal. We 
steamed by the line and fired some deadly shot at them. We had anticipated 
that once across their line would be sufficient to silence them, but they did 
not yield, and so when we got to the end of the line we turned and went 
back at them again. It was getting real interesting now, for many of their 
shots were coming close aboard, and the screech of the shots as they whistled 
over our heads was anything but pleasant. 

" Now and then we would see a shot strike in the water ahead of us and 
explode and the pieces of it come at us. I will never forget it. I was sur- 
prised to find how little it disturbed us. I never believed that I would ever 
feel so entirely unconcerned while the shots were falling all around. No one 
seemed to care an iota whether the shells dropped on us or fell a long distance 
away, and in the intervals, between which we were making signals, the most 
commonplace remarks were made. 

" We passed across the enemy's line the second time, but that did not 
seem to silence them any more than the first, and we had to try it a third 
time, with no better result, although perhaps their fire was not so heavy as at 
first. A small torpedo boat came out and attempted to get within striking 
distance of the Olympia, but our secondary battery drove her in ; a second 
time she came out and at us, but again our fire was too much for her, and 
some of our shots striking her she had barely time to get back to the beach, 
or she would have sunk. 

Flagship Bore the Brunt. 

" It soon became apparent that the Spaniards were concentrating their 
fire on the Olympia (as flagship), and we then received the brunt of the fight. 
At one time the Reina Christina, the Spanish flagship, attempted to come out 
from her position and engage us at closer distance, but we turned our fire on 
her and drove her back. A fourth time we steamed across their line, and a 
fifth, and it began to look as if they were not going to give in until after all 
our ammunition would be exhausted, which would leave us in a very serious 
predicament, in the midst of the enemy and in one of their ports, being over 
seven thousand miles from supplies ; so after the fifth time across their line 
we withdrew to count up our ammunition, to see how we stood and to get 
breakfast 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



57 



" It was only 7.30, but it seemed to us all as if it were the middle of the 
day. Then we began to count our casualties, and found that no one had 
been killed and none injured, with a few slight exceptions. But it was the 
dirtiest-looking crowd that I have ever seen, and by far the oddest. It was 
so hot that many had stripped off nearly all their clothes ; in fact, in the tur- 
rets they did strip off about everything except their shoes, which they kept 
on to protect their feet from the hot floor. 

" The Commodore himself, the most dressed man in the battle, was in 
white duck ; the rest of us appeared without collars and some without shirts, 
an undershirt and a white blouse being more than sufficient for our needs, 
and, if our blouses were not off, they certainly were not buttoned. 

" We were a mighty dirty crowd. Our faces and clothes were full of 
smoke and powder and saltpetre, and the perspiration rolling around in that 
way made us picturesquely handsome. I would have given a good deal for a 
picture of the ship's company, men and officers. Then we looked around to 
see where the ship had been injured, and found that she had been struck 
several times, none of which materially hurt her. On the bridge, where we 
stood, was perhaps the hottest place of all, for at least four shots struck 
within thirty or forty feet of it. 

A Shot Cuts Through the Rigging. 

" One of the shots with an ugly screech flew over our heads, but its cry 
was a little different from most of the others, and several of us said, ' That hit 
something,' and we looked aloft to see if it had, and found the halliards on 
which we had a signal flying cut in two and the signal out to leeward ; 
another shot cut the wire rigging ten feet over our heads, while any number 
flew close over us without striking anything. 

" About half-past ten we returned to the attack and gave the Baltimore 
the post of honor in leading the attack, as we were very short of 5 -inch 
ammunition, and the way that the Baltimore did fire into the Spanish bat- 
teries was a caution. It was not long before the enemy was completely 
silenced and the white flag run up. Two of their ships were on fire and 
burning fiercely, and one was sinking. The Don Antonio de Ulloa was the 
last to give in, and after she was abandoned by her crew still kept her flag 
flying, which necessitated our firing at her until it was lowered, but as no one 
was left on board to lower it we kept firing at her until she slowly began to 
sink. It was a grand sight to see her slowly settle aft, with the flag of Spain 
with her. 

" Then we sent some of the smaller ships in to destroy those that were still 
afloat and the Petrel burned and sunk four or five of them, while the Concord 



58 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



fired a large transport, which we afterwards learned was quite full of coal and stuff 
for the Spaniards. Altogether our six ships, the Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, 
Boston, Concord and Petrel, burned and sunk almost the entire Spanish fleet 
that is in the East, as follows, viz. : Sunk, the Reina Christina (flagship), 
Castilla and Antonio de Ulloa, and burned the Don Juan de Austria, the 
Isla de Cuba, the Isla de Luzon, the Marques del Duero, the Velasco, the Gen- 
eral Lezo, the El Correo and the transport Isla de Mindanao. 

" There is still one small vessel, the Argus, on the ways, but she is so 
badly damaged by shot that I doubt if she would float if we tried to put her 
into the water. Besides, we captured the Manila, a splendid 1,900-ton vessel, 
which they used as a transport, and on which we expect to send home our 
trophies in the way of captured guns, etc. We also captured any number of 
tugs and steam launches, some of which we burned, and others which we are 
now using. Some of them are very fine tug boats. 

White Flags Flying Over the City. 

" The city is still in the hands of the Spanish, although there have been 
two or three white flags flying in the city. We have complete possession of 
the city of Cavite, which is their principal naval station, and is about four miles 
below the city, and have gone ashore and quietly helped ourselves to all 
kinds of stores that we might need, and of which we found large quantities 
in the navy yard. 

" By half-past one o'clock Sunday afternoon, eight hours after the first 
shot was fired from Cavite, we had entire possession of the place, and we again 
withdrew and anchored for a rest. I did not get a chance to get below to get 
anything to eat until nearly three o'clock, and it hardly seemed as if I was 
going down to dinner. Every one has said the same thing, and they all speak 
of the first half of the engagement (that from 5.35 to 7.35 a.m.) as the fore- 
noon fight, and the second half, which commenced about 10.30 A. m., as the 
afternoon fight. We could hardly bring ourselves to realize that it was so 
early in the day. 

" Every one seemed proud of the wounds, that is to the ships. The even- 
ing of the fight I had to go around to the different ships on an errand for the 
Commodore, and on each one all hands made it a point to take me around 
and show me where each shot hit them. The Raleigh was hit in one of her 
boats, the shot going through both sides and striking a gun on the opposite 
side, which it twirled around on its pivot like a top, but glanced off and 
injured no one. 

" The Baltimore had a shell strike her on one side, go through her, 
exploding a box of rapid-fire ammunition, then going through two sides of 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



59 



the engine room hatch, and striking a six-inch gun on the other side, which 
it put out of commission, then glanced off and returned to the other side of 
the deck again and carried away a piece of an iron ladder, when it fell down 
on deck, and later was picked up. The course of this shot was very eagerly 
pointed out to me by Cone and two others, who were all very proud of it. 
They told me they zlso got two other bad shots. 

" The Boston got a hole in her foremast, just over the captain's head, 
while a shot struck her in the wake of Doddridge's room, went into his room, 
where it exploded, set fire to it, and burned his clothes. The fire and water 
made a pretty bad wreck of his uniforms. The Concord and the Petrel, I 
believe, were neither of them hit, but as I said before the Olympia was hit- 
eight times, and we were as proud as peacocks of the shots. One or two of 
them, I believe, were photographed by the newspaper correspondents, so you 
may see how slight they were, and how much fuss we made over them. We 
considered the scars very honorable. 

Batteries Captured and Guns Destroyed. 

" We do not know exactly what we are going to do now. We sent 
some of the ships dpwn to Corregidor, where we captured the batteries, 
paroled the garrisons and destroyed the guns. We can take the city of 
Manila at any time we choose, for they have but two or three batteries left, 
but we have not troops enough here to hold it. We hear that troops are to 
be sent out from San Francisco, but do not know whether they are coming or 
not. The rebels have risen and have completely surrounded the town, and I 
believe the inhabitants are much more afraid of them than they are of us, for 
the rebels, if they could only once get a chance, will show no mercy to the 
Spaniards. 

" The thing that we were most afraid of was that the North Atlantic 
fleet would get in some big engagements before we had a chance, but from 
the scanty news which we get I guess we have them on the hip this time. 

" The harbor presents quite an unusual appearance with eight or nine 
ships showing just above water, the masts charred and their upper works 
(those that can be seen) nothing but a twisted mass of iron. It looks as if we 
had done something to pay the debt we owe them for the Maine I got 
ashore several days after the engagement and walked through the navy yard. 
It presents a woful sight. The barracks had any number of holes in the sides 
and things were strewn all over. In one room of the commandant's house 
we saw where a large eight-inch shell had gone through the roof, and after 
carrying away the thick planking had exploded, knocking down the side of 
the room and wrecking everything in it. In another building I saw where a 



60 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



shell had gone through the side of the building, and had scattered the bricks 
all over the room. 

" We are very busy all day, and part of the night, too. It is extremely 
hot, and everybody is suffering from it. We cannot sleep below, but take 
our bedding on deck at night, and sleep there, but the rainy season is coming 
on and then I don't know what we will do. Even now it rains occasionally 
at night, and we have to hurry below, or else spread a rain coat over us. We 
go around without collar or shirt, and even then the heat is something fear- 
ful. To-day there were over fifty people on the sick list from the entire fleet, 
which is a very large number, and many who are not on the sick list are 
really sick and hardly fit for duty. 

Suffering From the Heat. 

" Both the captain of this ship and the captain of the Boston are down, 
as is also the chief of staff. I am in first-rate health, but don't believe I ever 
felt the heat half so much. It is lucky we have an ice machine aboard, but 
the sea water is so warm that we make only about enough to have ice water 
around meal times. We also get enough to keep cool what fresh provisions 
we may have left. We are living pretty much on sea stores now. It is too 
hot to take a bath with fresh water, for it will almost scald you, and even the 
salt water is very warm." 

Other features of the battle in Manila Bay were described by an eye- 
witness on one of Dewey's ships as follows : " With decks cleared for action, 
guns shotted, crews all at quarters and eagerly peering through the portholes, 
Commodore Dewey having previously made signal to follow the flagship, 
headed for the entrance of Manila Bay, between the batteries on the islands 
of Puto Cabello and El Fraile at 10 p. m., on Saturday night, April 30th. 
Here were the guns that were to blow us out of the water, and the much- 
vaunted torpedo mine field that was impossible to pass over without a skilled 
pilot. At 10.20 a signal light and a gun on the beach announced that we 
had probably been seen. 

" The night was bright, moonlight and unfavorable for us, but the dark 
gray green paint, and the inky darkness on board ship, prevented any estimate 
of our character being made. 

" The Olympia and Baltimore slipped through unseen by the gunners 
on El Fraile, but a sudden roar, a flash, and an eight-inch shell whistled over 
the Raleigh, and exploded close alongside. The ball was opened, and a five- 
inch shell from her broke the silence of the American fleet, but the course 
or speed was not changed. Three more shots were fired at the Concord and 
Boston, and they were promptly replied to, after which the fleet was out of 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA, 



61 



range. Speed was then slackened, and the column headed up the bay for 
Manila, thirty miles distant. 

" The Commodore skirted the city at early dawn, but the Spanish fleet 
was not there. Soon afterward it was distinguished, drawn up in line of battle, 
off the strongly fortified arsenal of Cavite, seven miles from Manila. The 
signal 1 prepare for general action and close up ' was then floated from the 
flagship Olympia, and, in unison, bugle and drum called to 'general quarters' 
and the glorious Stars and Stripes waved out from every masthead and gaff 
of the six ships of the squadron as the Olympia headed for their line of 
battle. Our formation was in column, four hundred yards apart, with a 
slackened speed of six knots. 

" The fullness of the day revealed the Spanish fleet of nine vessels, the 
Reina Christina, flagship ; the Castilla, Don Antonio d'Ulloa, Isla de Cuba. 
Isla de Luzon and four small gunboats. The Spanish mail steamer Mindanao 
was also in line, having been hastily fitted with guns. Each end of their line 
was protected by batteries of six and eight-inch guns on the peninsula of 
Cavite. The Castilla was moored head and stern, and the other ships had 
steam up in order to be able to retreat behind the mole and batteries of Cavite 
to repair accidents and take a breathing spell. Preparations were thus made 
for carrying on the conflict. 

Spaniards Poor Shots. 

" The shore batteries opened on us long before we were in range. Our 
guns were silent until at 4,500 yards, when the Olympia swung around her 
port broadside and let drive her four eight-inch turret guns. The Baltimore, 
Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston, in succession, followed the flagship and 
opened fire as soon as their guns would bear on the enemy. 

" The engagement was general as the Americans swept down parallel to 
the Spanish line, but was fought at long range, owing to our ships being kept 
away from the enemy by shallow water. The modern high power guns and 
excellent gunnery of the Americans soon showed its effects, while the Span- 
iard's shots either fell far short or flew wholly over our heads without doing 
any damage. 

" The end of their line being reached, we turned, shifted our batteries 
and stood down the line until we were at from 3,000 to 2,500 yards. It is 
hardly conceivable with what rapidity and accuracy our guns were fired. The 
sides of the Raleigh, which has a battery of ten five-inch rapid-fire guns, were a 
continuous sheet of flame, and the eight-inch guns of the Olympia, Boston and 
Baltimore hurled an unbroken stream of 250-pound shell at the doomed ships 
of the enemy. Five times the Commodore led the fleet up and down the 



62 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



Spanish line, after which we hauled out to breakfast, but not before we rea- 
lized that the victory was ours. 

" The Castilla was riddled and burning. A shell through the steam pipe 
of the Reina Christina showed she was in trouble. Two hours later she burst 
into flames and both ships were burned to the water's edge. The other 
Spanish craft had been handled so severely that they had retired behind the 
mole of the navy yard. The Mindanoa was beached. 

" One torpedo boat, early in the fight, tried to slip out and attack our 
reserve squadron, composed of the McCulloch and the transports Nanshan 
and Zafiro, which we had left out of range of the action. She had hardly 
made clear her purpose before the small rapid-fire guns of all our ships were 
concentrated on her, and she was fairly blown out of the water onto the 
beach 

Stopped to Eat Breakfast. 

u At 7:30, the Commodore made signal to retire, in order to give the 
crews a rest and breakfast. They had been standing by their guns all night, 
and had been fighting them for three hours. The rest was welcomed by all. 
After breakfast and the council of war, it was decided to attack and destroy 
the shore batteries at Cavite. On signal, the Baltimore led the way, ran 
up to within two thousand yards, received their concentrated fire, and 
literally smothered them with shell. The other ships quickly took their 
places, and within the brief space of thirty minutes not another shot was fired 
from the shore. 

" The Don Antonio d'Ulloa still floated the flag of Spain and fired a few 
shots. Her decks were swept of every living soul, and she sank riddled with 
shell. The work of the big ships was over. The Raleigh, Concord, and 
Petrel were then ordered inside to u destroy shipping." But the draft of the 
Raleigh, twenty feet, was too great to allow her to get over the shoal water, 
and after getting aground twice the attempt had to be abandoned. The Con- 
cord ran over and found the Mindanoa, while the Petrel went up to the navy 
yard. The enemy, however, had anticipated them, and all the gunboats were 
on fire or scuttled. The arsenal was in ruins from the shelling, 

"At 1:30 the Spanish flag was hauled down, and the Petrel signalled: 
" The enemy has surrendered." 

" A mighty cheer went up from all the ships. A most extraordinary 
victory was ours — not one man did we lose, and there were only six men 
slightly wounded, on the Baltimore, while from last accounts the Spaniards 
lost between 900 and 1100 men killed and wounded. 

" The Spanish Commodore was wounded, and the captain, a lieutenant, 
the chaplain, and a midshipman were killed by a shell striking the bridge of 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



63 



the Reina Christina. — She lost beside 80 men killed, and had 60 men 
wounded. The Castilla lost 1 10 men killed and wounded. The shore bat- 
teries suffered badly. Had we been able to engage their ships and batteries 
at short range, the battle would have been more quickly over; but our loss 
of life would in all probability have been considerable. 

" On the Lunetta in front of Manila is a battery of ten-inch Krupp guns. 
These guns opened on the fleet as it passed in the early morning, and by so 
doing exposed the city to a merciless bombardment, which but for the human- 
ity of our commander might have put to death thousands of inhabitants, and 
laid the city in ruins. 

" Even after the first part of the battle was over the battery kept firing. 
But after the final destruction of the naval station and the silencing of the 
Spanish ships off the city, a white flag was hoisted over this battery, and not 
a gun was thereafter fired. 

Dismantled the Ports. 

" During Monday, May 2d, the Raleigh and Baltimore were sent down 
to demand the surrender or to destroy the forts at the mouth of the bay. 
Arrived off the principal fort and headquarters on Corregidor Island, a flag 
of truce was sent in and the surrender of the Spaniards was demanded, 
whereupon the Governor and the colonel commanding the forces came on 
board and arranged the terms with Captain Coghlan, of the Raleigh. We 
have since dismantled their guns, destroyed their ammunition and put all the 
Spaniards on parole not to bear arms against the United States during this 
war, or to attempt to fire a shot at our ships entering or leaving the bay." 

One of the arrivals at the port of Philadelphia recently, and one which 
was of more than passing interest to the American people at large, was the 
fine British ship Dalcairne, direct from Manila. She was on the scene of the 
great naval battle which resulted in Dewey's annihilation of the Spanish fleet 
under Admiral Montojo. She dropped anchor at Girard Point one hundred 
and forty-one days from the harbor of Cavite, landing a cargo of 10,998 bales 
of hemp. 

The Dalcairne was the first vessel to arrive at Philadelphia bearing eye- 
witnesses of the thrilling scenes of May 1st, and only the second one which 
up to this time had reached the United States. She had on board a most 
interesting collection of souvenirs of the battle. In her hold were securely 
packed away two guns of historic interest. One from the cruiser Baltimore, 
presented by Admiral Dewey to the Monumental City to commemorate the 
deeds done by its namesake, and the other from the ill-fated Reina Castilla. 
which is the property of the Navy Department at Washington. 



64 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA, 



Besides these invaluable mementos of the engagement Captain Jones was 
the possessor of relics and trinkets galore from the abandoned hulks of the 
defeated Dons. While in harbor at Manila the Dalcairne was visited by 
Admiral Dewey, who presented several gifts to the captain. The guns were 
secured at Cavite from Consul-General Williams. Captain Jones would have 
secured many more articles had it not been for the depredations committed 
by the crew of a Nova Scotian bark in the vicinity, who quickly and sum- 
marily looted the shattered vessels of all portable articles with the skill of 
accomplished wreckers. 

On the morning of the naval battle, about 2 o'clock, all were sleeping on 
the Dalcairne except the watch and the steward, who notified Captain Jones 
in his berth of the approach of the American squadron. Very little time was 
consumed by the ship's company in tumbling out of their hammocks and 
berths. 

The position of the Dalcairne was a perilous one, being directly in the 
line of fire of the Spanish ships. Their guns, apparently elevated too high, 
however, hurled their destructive missiles slightly above the Britisher, and 
she was consequently struck only once by a shell, which tore away a portion 
of her top hamper. Still, had it not been for the fact that the American ships 
manoeuvred so constantly, Captain Jones thinks that his vessel must have sus- 
tained serious damage. The smoke hung so heavily that it was difficult to 
see anything of the engagement after it was well on, but the crew saw one 
thing distinctly, and that was the heroic work of Admiral Montojo in trans- 
ferring his flag to another vessel under a rain of death-dealing projectiles. 
They could but admire his bravery. 

A Feat of Superb Courage. 

" How that little boat escaped utter destruction," said Captain Jones, " is 
a mystery. Every man on her was a hero, but the Spanish admiral dis- 
counted for coolness anything that has ever come under my observation, 
During that perilous passage of a mile or more he stood upright in the stern 
perfectly unmoved, although splashes of water flew repeatedly over the little 
craft from the fragments of shell and larger shot which exploded frequently 
within a few yards of her. We all held our breath until Montojo was safe out 
of the frying-pan into the fire, as the saying is, and we all devoutly hoped he 
would cross that expanse of water in safety. It was an example of unpar- 
alleled heroism." 

Admiral Dewey is one of those prudent men who never like to go into 
battle unprepared. Before entering the harbor of Manila, he had every part 
of his fleet in fighting order, as he stated in a letter from Hong Kong. — Mr. 
Charles Dewey, brother of the Admiral, celebrated his fiftieth wedding anni- 



I 




SOLDIERS IN CUBA DURING A TROPICAL RAIN 



LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN JACOB ASTOR 

WHO RAISED AND EQUIPPED A BATTERY FOR OUR GOVERNMENT 
AT HIS OWN EXPENSE 



MAJOR-GENERAL J. F. KENT 
Commander of the First Division at Santiago 




GENERAL S. B. M. YOUNG 

^MMANDER SECOND BRIGADE, CAVALRY DIVISION AT SANTIAGO 



r 



I: 
I' 




MAJOR-GENERAL A. R. CHAFFEE 

Commander of the First Brigade, Second Division at Santiago 




BRIGI Dl ER-GEN ERAL HENRY M. DUFFIELD 

Commander of the Volunteer Brigade at Santiago 




TROOPS IN CUBA DURING THE RAINY SEASON 



WORKING RAPID-FIRE GUNS IN THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE 
OF SANTIAGO 




CAPTAIN ROBLEY D. EVANS 
Commander of the Battleship Iowa 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



65 



versary two days after the Battle of Manila. On the evening of the cele- 
bration he received a letter from the admiral. It was postmarked Hong 
Kong, and had been written before the declaration of war. It was the last 
bit of correspondence that passed between the hero of Manila and his relatives 
in this country before the battle. After treating of private matters the Admiral 
went on to say that he had not had a good night's sleep for nearly thirty days. 
All the time had been spent in preparing his fleet for action. Word was 
expected at any minute to move on Manila, and he expressed confidence 
that he would have the city at his mercy within twenty-four hours. This 
letter, written before the battle, was no vain boast, as the result showed. 

Celebrating Dewey's Victory. 

The people of Montpelier, Vt., hailed his victory with demonstrations of 
rejoicing. When a press correspondent called on his sister, Mrs. Greely, he 
found her writing to her beloved brother. On the table and on the wall were 
pictures of him. 

" I am just writing to my dear brother," said she, " and telling him of the 
magnificent manner in which his native town celebrated his victory. I know 
he will be greatly pleased to hear about it. These are the proudest days of 
my life ! " and her eyes welled with tears. 

All accounts show that in his early life Dewey was full of energy, fond of 
fun, was not averse to playing tricks, had a strong will, and gave promise of 
one day becoming a rugged personality who would not be afraid to wage 
relentless warfare upon any obstacle that stood in his way. His grand 
achievement at Manila was what might have been expected from a man of 
his sterling qualities. One of the qualifications of a great commander is the 
ability to gain the confidence of his men and inspire them with his own 
courage. In this respect Dewey is pre-eminent, as is shown by his success. 

Admiral Dewey christened the cruiser Baltimore " The Tiger." So says 
Chief-Engineer John D. Ford, in a letter to his wife, who lives in the Maryland 
metropolis. Mr. Ford thus tells of some narrow escapes during the battle : 

"A 5.2-inch armor-piercing shell entered the hammock netting, just abaft 
the starboard after 6-inch gun sponson. This space was stowed full of brass 
canopies, rails, etc., so that it made a great racket. Lieutenant Kellogg was 
just coming up the starboard hatch to see if the three-pounder Hotchkiss gun 
mounted on the rail there had plenty of ammunition. The shell struck two 
of the three-pounder shells that were on the deck besides the gun, exploding 
them. Kellogg ducked, as a man will involuntarily; one piece ripped his coat 
right down the back without leaving a scar on him, and another cut his shin. 
5 



66 



DEWEY'S MEN TELL OF MANILA. 



" Ensign Irwin was standing on a grating of this hatch, fighting his guns, 
between two of the gratings that were knocked down, but was uninjured. The 
shell struck the recoil cylinder of the port after six-inch gun, putting that gun 
out of commission for the rest of that day, glanced and struck the shield, 
glanced down and struck the gun carriage, glanced up again against the inside 
of the shield, traversed inside of it circumferentially, hit a ventilator, and finally 
an iron ladder on the starboard side again, where its force was expended and 
it dropped to the deck without exploding. The most of our wounded were 
injured by this shot. 

" Earlier Ensign Irwin was standing on the engine-room hatch fighting 
his guns, when a shot skimmed his head so close that he took off his cap to 
see if it was cut. While he was holding it in his hand looking at it another 
shot struck it, carrying it out of his hand overboard. 

" One man worked at his gun for an hour with a broken leg, not know- 
ing it was broken. Doesn't it seem almost miraculous that there should have 
been so many narrow escapes without a person in the fleet being killed and 
with so few wounded ?" 



CHAPTER IV. 




The Captain of the Hudson Tells of the First Americans 
Killed in Our War with Spain. 

T was in the bay of Cardenas, on the north coast of Cuba, that die 
first heroes of the war lost their lives. This was in a bloody 
engagement on May nth between the torpedo boat Winslow, the 
auxiliary tug Hudson, and the gunboat Wilmington on one side, 
and the Cardenas batteries and four Spanish gunboats on the other. The 
battle lasted but thirty-five minutes, but was remarkable for terrific fighting. 

The Winslow was the main target of the 
enemy, and was put out of service. The 
other American vessels were not damaged, 
except that the Hudson's two ventilators 
were slightly scratched by flying shrapnel. 
The Winslow was within 2,500 yards of the 
shore when the shells struck. How it came 
to be so close was told by its commander, 
Lieutenant John Bernadou. He said : 

" We were making observations when 
the enemy opened fire on us. The Wilming- 
ton ordered us to go in and attack the gun- 
boats We went in under full steam and 
there's the result." He was on the Hudson 
when he said this, and with the final words 
he pointed to the huddle of American flags 
on the deck near by. Under the Stars and 
Stripes were outlined five rigid forms. 

List of killed: Worth Bagley, ensign; John Daniels, fireman; Elijah B. 
Tunnel, cabin cook; John Varveres, oiler; George B. Meek, fireman. The 
wounded: J. B. Bernado, lieutenant, commanding the Winslow; R. E. Cox, 
gunner's mate; D. McKeown, quartermaster; J. Patterson, fireman; F. Gray. 
The story of the fight, as told by the Hudson's men, is as follows: 
" The Winslow, the Hudson, the Machias, and the Wilmington were 
among the ships off Cardenas on the blockade, the Wilmington acting as 
flagship. The Machias lay about twelve miles out. The others were stationed 
close in, on what is called the inside line. At a quarter to 9 o'clock the Hud- 

«7 




THE LATE ENSIGN WORTH BAGLEY. 
K ; lled at Cardenas. 



68 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



son, under Captain F. H. Newton, was taking soundings in Diana Cay bars 
and Romero Cay, just outside Cardenas, so close to shore that it grounded, 
but it floated off easily into the shallow water. At half past 1 1 the Wilming- 
ton spoke the Hudson and the Winslow and assigned them to duty, the 
Winslow to start to the eastern shore of Cardenas Bay and the Hudson to 
the western shore, while the Wilmington took its station in mid-channel. 

Batteries Playing from the Shore 

This work occupied two hours. Nothing was discovered on either 
shore, and the boats were approaching each other on their return when a puff 
of smoke was observed on shore at Cardenas, and a shell whistled over them. 
The Winslow was on the inside, nearer the shore. The Hudson and the 
Winslow reported to the Wilmington, and orders came promptly to go in 
and open fire; but the Spaniards had not waited for a reply to their first shot. 
The Cardenas harbor shore had already become one dense cloud of smoke, 
shot with flashes of fire and an avalanche of shells were bursting toward the 
little Wins' ow. 

" This was at five minutes past 2 o'clock, and for twenty minutes the 
firing continued from the shore without cessation, but none of the shots had 
at that time found their mark, though they were striking dangerously near. 
Meanwhile the Hudson's two six-pounders were banging away at a terrific 
rate. How many of the torpedo boat's shots took effect is not known. The 
first two of the Hudson's shells fell short, but after these two every one 
floated straight into the smoke-clouded shore. The Spaniard's aim in the 
meantime was improving and it was presently seen that two empty barks had 
been anchored off shore. It was twenty-five minutes before 3 o'clock when 
a four-inch shell struck the Winslow on the starboard beam, knocking out its 
forward boiler and starboard engine and crippling the steering gear, but no 
one was injured. 

" Lieutenant Bernadou was standing forward watching the battle with 
calm interest and directing his men as coolly as if they were at target prac- 
tice. By the one-pounder amidships stood Ensign Bagley, the oiler, the two 
firemen, and the cook. The little boat gasped and throbbed and rolled help- 
lessly from side to side. Lieutenant Bernadou did not stop for an examina- 
tion. He knew his boat was uncontrollable. The Hudson was a short dis- 
tance off still pounding away with her guns. It was hailed and asked to take 
the Winslow in tow. It was a vital moment. Guns roared from shore and 
sea. Lieutenant Scott, in charge of the Hudson's aft gun, sat on a box and 
smoked a cigarette as he directed the fire. 

" Captain Newton stood near Lieutenant Meed at the forward gun and 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



69 



watched its workings with interest. Chief Engineer Gutchin never missed 
his bell. A group of sailors was making ready to heave a line to the Wins- 
low, and Ensign Bagley and his four men stood on the port side of the latter 
vessel, waiting to receive it. A vicious fire was singing about them. The 
Spaniards seemed to have found the exact range. 

" There was a momentary delay in heaving the towline, and Ensign 
Bagley suggested that the Hudson's men hurry. 1 Heave her,' he called. 
' Let her come ; it's getting pretty warm here.' The line was thrown and 
grabbed by the Winslow's men. Grimy with sweat and powder, they tugged 
at it and drew nearer foot by foot to the Hudson. Almost at the same instant 
another four-inch shell shrieked through the smoke and burst directly under 
them. Five bodies went whirling through the air. Two of the group were 
dead when they fell — Ensign Bagley and Fireman Daniels. The young en- 
sign was literally disemboweled, and the entire lower portion of the fireman's 
body was torn away. 

" The other three died within a few minutes. A flying piece of shrapnel 
struck Lieutenant Bernadou in the thigh and cut an ugly gash, but the Lieu- 
tenant did not know it then. With the explosion of the shell the hawser 
parted and the Winslow's helm went hard to starboard, and, with its steering 
gear smashed, the torpedo boat floundered about in the water at the mercy of 
the enemy's fire, which never relaxed. They saw their advantage, and were 
not slow to make the most of it. 

Kept up the Fight to the Last. 

" The fire of the Americans was of the usual persistent character, and the 
nerve of the men was marvelous. Even after the Winslow's starboard engine 
and steering gear were wrecked the little boat continued pouring shot into 
the Spaniards on shore until it was totally disabled. Meanwhile the Wil- 
mington from its outlying station was busy with its bigger guns and sent shell 
after shell from its four-inch guns crashing into the works on shore, and their 
execution must have been deadly. Not a fragment of shot or shell from the 
enemy reached the Wilmington. 

" The Hudson quickly threw another line to the Winslow, and the help- 
less torpedo boat was made fast and pulled out of the Spaniards' exact range. 
The tug then towed it to Piedras Cay, a little island twelve miles off, near 
which the Machias lay. There it was anchored for temporary repairs, while 
the Hudson brought the ghastly cargo into Key West, with Dr. Richards of 
the Machias attending to the wounded. Not until this mournful journey was 
begun was it learned that Lieutenant Bernadou had been injured. He scoffed 
at the wound as a trifle, but submitted to treatment 




70 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



71 



" When the Hudson drew up to the government dock at Key West tne 
flags at half mast told the few loiterers on shore that death had come to some 
one, and the bunting spread on the deck, with here and there a foot protrud- 
ing from beneath, confirmed the news. Ambulances were called and the 
wounded were carried quickly to the army barracks hospital. The dead were 
taken to the local undertaker's shop, where they lay all day on slabs, the 
mutilated forms draped with flags. The public were permitted to view the 
remains, and all day a steady stream of people flowed through the shop.'' 

The American boats made furious havoc with Cardenas harbor and town. 
The captain of the Hudson said : 

Story of the Captain of the Tug. 

" I know we destroyed a large part of their town near the wharves, burned 
one of their gunboats, and I think destroyed two other torpedo destroyers. 
We were in a vortex of shot, shell and smoke, and could not tell accurately, 
but we saw one of their boats on fire and sinking soon after the action began. 
Then a large building near the wharf, I think the barracks, took fire, and many 
other buildings were soon burning. The Spanish had masked batteries on 
all sides of us, hidden in bushes and behind houses. They set a trap for us. 
As soon as we got within range of their batteries they would move them. I 
think their guns were field pieces. Our large boats could not get into the 
harbor to help us on account of the shallow water." 

The death of Ensign Bagley, who lost his life in this sanguinary fight, 
was, greatly lamented. He belonged to a well known family of Raleigh, North 
Carolina, and was a young man of bright promise. His funeral was the occa- 
sion of a remarkable public demonstration. An eye witness, who was at 
Raleigh, writes as follows : 

" To be in Raleigh to-day is to be in the centre of the nation's sympathy. 
I heard only one subject — Ensign Worth Bagley 's sacrifice and death. 

" ' I will be an admiral before I am 45, mother,' said young Bagley, with 
all the fire of an enthusiasm that we love in boys. The guns have just ceased 
firing the salute of a brigadier-general over his body. 

" In all the dreams of fame this boy ever had he probably never realized 
how his name would ring all over the country; would be in every mouth; 
would make every heart beat faster and would bring from every man and woman 
honor and praise and reverence. It was not to be in the manner that Worth 
Bagley wanted it, but he got the thing for which he lived. 

" There is a great shaft that cuts the blue sky of North Carolina, that is 
standing in front of the magnificent capitol, swept by the leaves of famous 
trees. It stands simple, impressive, heroic, a memorial to the soldiers of 



72 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



North Carolina, who did their duty. The only sentence on it that catches the 
eye is this : ' The first at Bethel, the last at Appomattox.' 

" Probably the reading every day of such a simple sentence of heroism, 
instilled, unconsciously, into young Bagley's mind the idea that there was only 
one thing in life, and that was duty to a principle. There will be another 
monument near it soon. It will be to the hero of Cardenas. 

" So fate writes with her pencil, for young Bagley, whose ambition in life 
was to make his mark in naval circles and to make Raleigh proud again of 
another Bagley, and another Worth will, at 25, have a monument erected to 
him as a hero. The boy wanted a medal on his breast instead of a monu- 
ment, but one cannot cavil at Providence. 

" This is a truth nobly learned by Mrs. Bagley, who sits quiet and lonely 
in the old North Carolina home, and while feeling most poignantly her great 
sorrow, never questions, never complains. She comes of a stock of women 
who have given up their best in defense of their flag, and she has not grown 
weak with years. To hear her talk about Worth is to hear a hero idolized. 
He was to her what no other son was to any other mother, she feels. No one 
can blame her for this partiality toward her best beloved. 

Beautiful Traits of Character. 

" And, in truth, his devotion and loyalty to her were the most beautiful 
traits in this boy's character. When he came of age, and his share of his 
father's property was handed over to him, he paid the debts which he had 
incurred necessarily at Annapolis, and handed over the entire sum to his 
mother, for her use ; and immediately upon entering the navy he had his life 
insured for $7,000 for her. 

" Every one in Raleigh who talked to me of Worth Bagley spoke of this 
devotion to his mother. He used to say she was a Spartan, and that no boy 
with so brave a mother could ever be a coward. It was this element of bravery 
in her, this resolute courage in her, that inspired and promoted his love for 
her. She is showing that courage in her fiber now. The nation knows how 
she suffers, but she will say nothing rebellious. 

" Through all the long, hot days at Key West, waiting for something to 
happen, Worth's letters to his mother show his daily diversions. The two 
were comrades, and friends, devoted chums. People in Raleigh who know 
this wonder at that quiet face, which, steeped in grief, shows nothing bitter. 
Every other mother feels that no power on earth should stay her from crying 
aloud to Heaven in rebellion at this act of the war. 

" It is a little odd that Mrs. Bagley has always been a Unionist. She was 
the daughter of Governor Worth, who was a staunch old Quaker, and her 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



73 



husband, Major Bagley, like his wife, was opposed to the war. He was an 
editor then, and did everything in his power to cement the opening gap be- 
tween the States, but, like General Lee, when his State went, he went with it. 

" Mrs. Bagley was of a family that was notable throughout the war for 
its feeling for the Union, and now it seems rather odd that by one of those 
peculiar tricks of fate she should give up the first sacrifice to the Union flag ! 

His Ideal Heroes. 

" It used to be a laughing remark in Raleigh that young Bagley moulded 
his conduct toward his mother after Scott's heroes, for it was known that he 
admired these more than any others in fiction or in real life. But if he did, it 
certainly was a very satisfactory example that he has set to other young men. 
Some one has said that great devotion to a mother is the highest indication 
of that glorious manhood which martyrs have, and surely Worth Bagley 
confirms this. 

" His mother has consented to remove the secret seal attached to the 
letters which the young ensign wrote to her just before the engagement, and 
I give them here for the first time to the world. The first, written offMatan- 
zas, was received by Mrs. Bagley after the telegram announcing Worth's death. 

"'Off Matanzas, Cuba, May 8, 1898. 

" ' We are now lying off Matanzas in the middle of the entrance to the 
harbor three miles further in. A mile and a half away on one side are the 
Partia Gardia and Sabanilla batteries, and at the same distance on the other 
are the Maya and other batteries. Matanzas is a town of about 35,000 inhab- 
itants with an ante-bellum commerce of some value. It lies, as I said before, 
three miles inside the entrance at which we are lying, around a horseshoe or 
bend, which makes it not visible from our location. The batteries, however, 
are here at the entrance and made themselves very much in evidence yester- 
day by the firing at the Dupont, which was lying too close under their fire. 
She got away quickly and in return for having to run, went up the coast two 
miles and leveled a Spanish blockhouse. The Winslow has not been fired at. 
All the large ships here left the blockade, the gunboats and torpedo boats 
remaining to hold it. No ship has so much as hove in sight of this entrance 
for days. So you may judge for yourself whether the blockade is effective. 

" ' The work, I must say, is extremely tough and unpleasant. We are in 
great luck when we receive newspapers from the news correspondents three 
days after they are published and read news greedily. 

" ' Being without news and nothing happening within our own little 
sphere, the monotony is absolutely painful. There are two other warships 
here, the torpedo-boat Dupont, and the armed yacht Hornet. These two 



74 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



boats lie over at the eastern entrance, while we guard the western. Of course 
it is necessary to keep a very careful lookout at night on account of the 
Spanish gunboats in these waters. The calibre of their guns is greater than 
that of our three little I -pounders, but we wish they would come out just 
the same, for we would use our torpedoes and sink them. You may be sure 
I am well. The weather is not half bad, as we use the awnings now and get 
all the breeze without the sun. It is nearly always perfectly clear, and a light 
passing shower this morning is the first rain I have seen since the beginning 
of the war. 

" ' No one knows where the armored ships of our squadron have gone, 
but it is supposed that they have left to intercept the Spanish fleet off S.n 
Juan, should that port prove to be its destination. 




UNITED STATES GUNBOAT WILMINGTON. 



u ' The nation, as a whole, from the tenor of the papers, has realized that 
the navy is our defense, our real fighting body. The Dupont is coming this 
way, so I must have my letter ready for her and close now. I feel that I will 
hear from you when the next mail comes. Bless you, dear, for your goodness. 

" ' Love to each one, and don't forget that I am in perfect safety. 

" ' Devotedly, " Worth.' " 

" Another letter runs : — 

" ' I am homesick to see you. It is really like sweet music to think of 
our home after coming in contact with the selfish world, of which I am the 
most selfish. Yet I actually believe I could be unselfish if I lived at home. 
Where is that picture of you that you said you were going to send me?' " 

" From the letter before the last to his mother, under date of Key West, 
May 4th, on board torpedo-boat Winslow (one week before he was killed): — 

" ' We leave in a few hours for Matanzas, whence we came two days ago 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



75 



for some minor repairs and necessary stores and coal. You are the sweetest 
mother to me for more reasons than I can ever count ; but I am thinking 
principally about your writing to me. Every time we have received a mail 
there has been a letter from you, and you would be so glad if you knew how 
happy they make me. Each time we come into port, or get any chance 
whatever to send you a letter, I shall do so, and have done so up to this 
moment. 

Anxious for Active Service. 

" ' You need have no fears about me, for there is no danger for us now. 
There may be when the Spanish fleet comes, but I am sorry to say that I fear 
that will never be. A war comes only once in a generation, and it will be 
very hard if I can get no chance to do some unusual service, so it is very 
disappointing to have no tangible enemy to meet. You are a brave mother, 
so you must feel like I do whenever we are engaged in anything at all dan- 
gerous — enjoy the excitement, feel that, but nothing more. Thank Heaven, 
I have found that I have no fear, for I have analyzed all my feelings in danger. 
Don't repeat that; it would be a boast to any one but you. Your last letter 
made me feel so happy, and I am so proud to receive your praise, to feel that 
never have I 'given you an hour's trouble or unhappiness.' To hear you 
say that, dear angel, is more to me than any ambition in this world. 

u ' Do you ever think that I have no heart to love because I follow 3 
profession that keeps me nearly always from you ? I know that you never do 
feel so, for you know I love you. Sometimes I remember and think of how 
you always love to have us children tell you how much we love you. 

" ' Good-bye for a short space. This letter is hurried, for there is a great 
deal that I must do. Love to every one. 

" ' Good-bye for a few days. 

" ' Devotedly, " ' Worth.' " 

" In a letter written on the Winslow, April 14th, he said: 'The war if it 
comes will be very easy. Do not be uneasy about me. I will not run into 
any danger I don't think proper, but can't promise you anything else; don't 
you know what I mean, dear ? Still, I will think of you all the time. It was 
so sweet of you to remember me on my birthday. I was so busy on that 
day that I didn't know it was my birthday till three in the afternoon. The 
pipe is a beauty. Being your present, it will make many a peaceful, happy 
smoke for me whenever I smoke it. 

" ' The little yellow buds you put in your last letter made me think of our 
front porch at home, and of how beautiful it must be now with its wealth of 
them, 1 send you my picture, taken the other day by an artist in Key West, 



76 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



I am afraid they are not good likenesses, for I am very much thinner on 
account of the heat. I am well, however, and stronger than I ever was, so 
that you can know that I go to war in good condition. I am so glad you are 
well. Please don't be uneasy on my account; as I said before, the chance of 
war, after all, is rather a scant one.' 

" On the 3d of March, just before leaving for Washington, he wrote: 
' You may be sure that I am not ashamed to use the proper amount of care 
for myself and will think of you in the midst of danger.' Who can say what 
thoughts filled his mind at the moment of death ? 

Last Letter Before the Battle. 

"On the 2 1st of April, writing to his mother, he said : 4 We are under 
orders to stand by to leave to-night. I felt that I would like to write you a 
line before going, to say good-by, not that there is any danger for me — there 
never is any — but I knew you would wish to hear. For your sake I might 
almost wish there would be no war ; on my own account I am happy that 
chance is offered me for distinction. You need have no fear for me. Nothing 
will happen to me with such prayers as yours to aid me. I shall have full 
confidence at all times, in action or wherever I may be, and that alone would 
keep me ready to do good service. Do not be afraid for me. Everything 
turns out for the best. 

" ' You will have to get out of the habit of feeling fear for my safety. 
Besides, you have enough of the Spartan in you, if you wish, to say, " With 
your shield or on it," and that is what you must always say to me.' 

" As the guns ceased their salute at the cemetery and the Confederate 
veterans and those of the Grand Army sauntered home together through the 
shady walks of Raleigh, the talk was ever of this one thing, ' that the South 
should pledge her loyalty to the flag in the first blood of the war.' Said one 
veteran gravely, ' There is no North, there is no South after this. We are all 
Worth Bagley's countrymen.' 

" But the women said a different thing. One dear, old lady said, ' The 
shot that struck the heart of Worth Bagley struck the heart of the mothers 
of North Carolina. We have forgotten heroism ; we have forgotten loyalty in 
a moment. We only remember that this is war. That it is death. This may 
mean giving up our boys.' 

"To the men it meant glory; to the women it meant heart-ache. Not 
one of them knows who may be the next asked to give up him on whom all 
their hopes depend, those for whom they have lived and sacrificed. This is the 
difference between the flag and the cannon. Heretofore every one has heard 
the march of triumph. To-day they hear the dirge. 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



77 



" Worth Bagley's boyhood, as it is revealed by those who knew him in 
Raleigh, was a bright one. Every one knows, of course, that he was the 
famous half-back on the football team of Annapolis, and that he made the 
famous kick of the season of '94. But every one does not know that the 
Board of Examiners announced that he had heart trouble from football, and 
all his hopes of fame in the service seemed about to be nipped in the bud. 
Disconsolate, he went to Washington, hoping to get some influence that 
would give him a chance. There he happened to meet President Ethelbert 
D. Warfield, of Lafayette College, a relative of Bagley's. Dr. Warfield's ill- 
fated chum, Ensign Breckinridge, who was swept overboard while at sea, 
introduced him to Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, and Roosevelt, who is a 
football enthusiast, said ' fudge ' to the whole business, called in one of his 
own examiners then and there, and had young Bagley certified for with a 
clean bill of health ; so the boy went into the navy as sound a young stripling 
as ever sought to do duty. 

Too Manly to Accuse Others. 

<; They tell a very good story of him which will endear him to Annapolis 
students for ever and aye, about a hazing experience when he went there a 
new student. As soon as Bagley got there the hazers took him in tow and 
administered the time-honored ceremonies of blackening his face, ducking him 
in water and other acts of like character. 

" Of course this attack on Bagley became known to the authorities, and 
Bagley was sent for by one of the subordinate officers and asked for the names 
of those who hazed him. The young cadet was entirely respectful to his 
superior officer, but replied that he had been taught at home never to become 
an informer, and that he must refuse to answer the question. His refusal was 
then reported to the commandant of the academy, and Bagley was imme- 
diately brought before him. He was again asked to tell who hazed him, and 
he again refused. He was then informed that if he did not tell that he would 
be put under arrest and placed on the boat Santee, then in the harbor, and 
shut up on bread and water until he did tell. He cheerfully accepted this 
alternative, and remained on the Santee until the hazers went to the com- 
mandant and informed on themselves. 

" This characteristic came from the good old Quaker stock, from which 
he was descended on both sides of his family. All the Worths of North 
Carolina are Quakers. The grandfather of Ensign Bagley — Governor Jona- 
than Worth — was a staunch Quaker, and was in full fellowship with them until 
he fell in love with a beautiful girl who was not a Quakeress. His love for 
the girl was stronger than that for his order, and he married her, and was 



78 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



expelled from the Quakers, The old Governor often told of this incident, and 
laughingly said that they put him out of the Quakers, but they could not put 
the Quaker out of him. 

" It has been stated by a number of people that the first sacrifice in the 
Civil War was an uncle of young Bagley, but this is not tiue. However, 
what is true is very significant, and that is that North Carolina gave the first 
three deaths in the notable wars of our country. She gave the first in the 
Revolution in Allemance, March 31, 1775, nearly a year before hostilities 
began, and the first man killed in the Civil War, in battle, was Henry Lawson 
Wyatt, of Tarboro, N. C, at Bethel. 

Dreamed of Being an Admiral. 

u Worth Bagley never wanted to go into the army. Naval life seemed 
to have a hypnotic influence over him, although his friends told me that his 
hero and idol was Napoleon, about whom he read everything he could. He 
used often to tell his mother, after a great deal of analysis on the subject, that 
he felt fear was impossible to him. He didn't know what it was. This was 
not in the nature of an idle boast, but the conclusion of a man who was fond 
of analyzing himself. 

" They tried to dissuade him in Raleigh from going into the navy by 
telling him how slow promotion was in time of peace, but it had no effect on 
him. His dream was to have an admiral's commission, and he always had a 
way of saying, in the oratorical manner so common to the clever Southern 
boy, that ' a strict performance of duty would at last bring highest promotion 
and permanent honors.' And he also said in that same oratorical vein that a 
life profession was not worthy a life's devotion unless it was accompanied by 
a willingness and determination to give up life whenever that sacrifice was 
required. And, swinging loose from the orator to the enthusiastic foot-ball 
player 25 years old, he would say, cap in air, when he was at home on a fur- 
lough, ' 1 want just-one shot at the Spaniards.' He had it. They had theirs. 
His was hit or miss. Their's freed a soul. 

" If Bagley had been superstitious he would have had every reason to be 
frightened. There were two reasons for this. The three close chums at 
Annapolis, Breckenridge, Merritt and Bagley, had like positions on the tor- 
pedo boats. Breckenridge was swept overboard from the Cushing in a big 
storm in February, Breckenridge and Bagley were room-mates for four 
years at Annapolis and served for two years together in the navy. Merritt 
went down with the Maine. 

"Young Bagley was on the Maine until within sixty days before his death 
with Merritt, and when he was transferred to the Winslow his friends thought 



FIRST AMERICANS KILLED. 



79 



that it was one of the great kindnesses of Providence, but it seems that death 
tracked the boy. 

" Raleigh people say that the other reason did make Bagley a little super 
stitious. His four brother officers and classmates, whose names began with 
B, had each met with a great accident. They were the five B's in the class ; 
Breckenridge, who was drowned; Boyd, who succeeded Breckenridge, and 
who is in great trouble through no fault of his own ; Bostwick, the executive 
officer on the Ericsson, swept overboard in a storm and nearly drowned, and 
Baldwin, at one time executive officer of the Cushing, who was knocked down 
an open hatchway and nearly killed and will probably not be fit for duty before 
the close of the war. 

Felt Certain He Would Not Escape. 

"Until May Bagley was the only one of the B's in that class who had 
escaped danger. He spoke of this laughingly to his intimate friends in 
Raleigh, and said he felt certain that he would not escape ; his only hope was 
that whatever fate was to befall him it would not be of such a nature as to 
prevent his fighting through the war. 

" Evidently this did not keep Worth from risking his life when the time 
came. But he had risked it before, for one of the treasures in Mrs. Bagley's 
possession is the letter from Secretary Long, commending her son for his 
heroic action in risking his life to save the crew of a boat in a terrible storm 
off Norfolk. 

" From childhood Raleigh watched him, feeling that here, indeed, was a 
man and one that was to make them think and act and be proud of. In the 
conversation of all I met one sentence was conspicuous above every other, 
that ' Worth Bagley seemed destined for no common career.' And a com- 
mon career his certainly was not. A great tragedy, but the first sacrifice in 
this modern war. 

" It was no common thing to be the hero of Cardenas. It is no common 
thing, although snuffed out like a candle at 25 years of age, to have a nation 
mourn his death, a State going in tears for him, a nation of mothers weep 
for his mother and the salute of a brigadier-general over his grave. For such 
things men have prayed to die." 



CHAPTER V. 



Eye-Witnesses Describe the First Battles on Cuban Soil. 

HERE was spirited fighting at Cienfuegos in an attempt to cut the 
cables in the harbor on the same date as that of the naval engage- 
ment at Cardenas. Lieutenant C. M. R. Winslow, of the Nash- 
ville, who was in command of the expedition, was wounded in the 
left hand. The Marblehead, Nashville and Winslow were detailed to do the 
perilous work. Cienfuegos is situated some distance back from the sea in a 
harbor which winds and twists about between high hills, completely obscur- 
ing it from ships standing out at sea. 

Near the mouth of the harbor the land is low for some distance back 
from the coast, and then there is a sudden rise — a sharp bluff towering up 
and covered with trees. The low land is covered with tall grass and under- 
brush. The cable house, which the Americans desired to destroy, was 
located within a few feet of the water. Not far from this on one side was a 
lighthouse, and on the other side an old blockhouse, or lookout, such as the 
Spanish built in former years all along the coast to intercept filibustering 
expeditions. 

It was the plan of the Americans to send out the small boats from the 
ships, and, proceeding close to the shore, pick up the cables with grappling 
irons and cut out sections of sufficient length to prevent the possibility of 
mending them by reuniting the severed ends. When daylight came the 
three war-ships were in position a short distance out from the shore. With 
the first rays of light the lookouts began to scan the shore, and it was soon 
discovered that the Spaniards were expecting them and evidently knew the 
mission of the ships. 

Rifle-pits were plainly distinguished at the water's edge and command- 
ing a cruel rake over the point where the cable was supposed to be and where 
the Americans would have to go in their small boats. Rapid-fire guns and 
small cannon could be seen. Squads of infantry swarmed like insects upon 
the shore. Groups of cavalry were constantly racing up and down a dusty 
white path that led from the shore to the hill top. All this the men saw, 
but as if the shore were a desert the boats were lowered, the implements 
were put in and the perilous work was begun. 

The little flotilla that did the hazardous work consisted of two small 
80 




82 



FIRST BATTLES OX CUBAN SOIL. 



launches, two steam launches and a half dozen ordinarv rowboats, carrying 
the men who did the work. The launches were armed with machine guns 
and were designed to do what the)' could in protecting the men in the small 
boats as they worked, and tow them back to the ships in case the men were 
so badly disabled that they were unable to use the oars. With steady nerves 
and strong arms the sailors pulled directly in shore toward the cable house. 
On they went until they could see the faces of Spanish soldiers peering out 
from behind the buildings and over the rifle pits. 

They knew it was only a matter of minutes when hre would be opened 
upon them. But the regular swing of the oars did not falter. At iast, a 
point within 100 feet of the cable house was reached. They were within 200 
feet of the rifle pits where the Spaniards were lying. Lieutenant Winslow 
stood up in the boat and gave the command for the men to throw out the 
anchor, and begin grappling for the cable. 

Stood at Their Gruns Every Moment. 

Calmly as if trolling for fish the men began to work with the grappling 
hooks. All this time the men on the Nashville, Marblehead and Winslow 
stood at their guns, ready to rain shot and shell upon the shore the moment 
the first puff of smoke was seen to come from the rifle pits. Men in the boats 
bent to their work, and at last one of the grappling hooks caught something 
a few inches below the soft white sand, and the arms of two strong sailors 
soon brought the cable into view- 
Then came the first shot. It was just a flash, a sharp snap, a singing 
over the heads of the sailors, and a splash in the water beyond. There was 
no white puff from the shot. The Spaniards were using smokeless powder ; 
but it was the signal for the opening of a deadly fire upon the men in the 
boats. This was promptly answered by the guns on the ships. A hurricane 
of shells shrieked and hissed above the heads of the sailors in the boats, and 
tore completely into fragments the earth where the Spaniards were crouching 
and hiding. 

Again and again the guns roared from the ships. Again and again the 
great clouds of dust and debris flew skyward on the shore. Another mighty 
crash from the Nashville, and the cable house flew into the air, torn into 
numberless fragments. Another crash from the Marblehead, and the block 
house was in ruins. Then this iron storm swung around and swept the hill- 
side. It shattered the rocks and trees. It ploughed great furrows in the soft 
sand. It drove a throng of panic-stricken men rushing and raving for shelter. 
Then it lowered again like the rays of a mighty search- light, and raked and 
riddled the rifle pits. 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



83 



But there came a moment's pause in the awful bellowing from the ships, 
and that moment was a fatal one. From a hundred different points came the 
fire from the Spanish rifles, and eight brave men sank down in the boats. 
Two were dead and six were wounded. But the Spaniards were too late. 
Already one cable had been hauled up and 150 feet cut out of it. This was 
the cable that ran to Batabana, and connected with Havana. It was slow, 
laborious work. The heavy cables had to be hauled up across the small 
boats, and then, by slow degrees, the tough steel wires were hacked off with 
axes, chisels and saws. 

Worked Bravely Under a Storm of Shot and Shell. 

After the volley had been fired by the Spaniards, the men transferred the 
dead and wounded to another boat, and began looking for the other cable 
which ran east to Santiago. This was soon found, and again, under the 
canopy of shot and shell from the ships, they worked bravely on until a sec- 
tion of eighty feet had been taken from that one. When our ships first 
opened fire on the shore it was the intention to allow the lighthouse to remain 
standing; but when the Spaniards poured their fire in upon the boats the men 
on the Marblehead discovered that a large number of shots had come from 
the lighthouse. 

The guns of the cruiser were at once trained upon the building. The 
marksmanship was marvelous. First the small house about the base of the 
tower was literally torn to atoms, and then, like an axeman cutting down a 
tree, one of the great guns of the ship, with shot after shot, bit oft' the great 
tower at the top. This was done at a range of one thousand yards, with a 
heavy sea rolling. It was just seven o'clock in the morning when the peril- 
ous work began, and it was fifteen minutes after ten o'clock when the boats 
were again hauled up with the dead and the living heroes to the decks of the 
ships. 

On board the United States cruiser Marblehead there was a fine young 
man well known in Buffalo. This was Harry L. Coleman, a bugler. In sev- 
eral letters Mr. Coleman gave some interesting accounts of what he saw in the 
Cuban campaign. He also sent to his Buffalo friends a section of one of the 
cables which was cut at Cienfuegos. It was two inches in diameter, with fine 
copper wire in the middle of the core, surrounded by heavy steel wire. Under 
date of May 4th Mr. Coleman wrote from Key West : 

" We went down to Cienfuegos last Thursday. On Friday about noon 
we sighted a mail steamer, and our captain sent the Nashville after her. After 
the Nashville got back with her we went on board to see what she had on 
her. We left the Eagle to guard the harbor while we went out to the Nash- 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



85 



ville, and when we got got away from the harbor a gunboat came out and 
started to fire on the Eagle. 

" The Eagle returned the fire, and when we saw what was going on we 
got our ship back as soon as we could and then we started to fire. The fight 
lasted about an hour. There was no one hurt on our ship ; not a single shell 
hit the ship, but we made a new street in that town with our five-inch guns. 
We have got the best ship of her size in the Navy." 

On May 15th he wrote from Cienfuegos : "We are still at Cienfuegos, 
and I think we will stay here for a while. We sent a landing party on shore 
last Wednesday to cut the cables. The Spaniards killed one and wounded 
five from the Marblehead and wounded five men from the Nashville. We 
sent the wounded to Key West and the one killed we buried at sea. We shot 
our five-inch guns at them and you could see the Spaniards fall. I think we 
killed 100 Spaniards for the one they killed on our ship. I will send you a 
piece of the cable that we cut if I can get it. We lie near the mouth of the 
harbor so that we can stop anything that tries to come out. Next Sunday is 
the day we start to shell the city. Our captain says he has the best fighting 
crew on the Marblehead there is in the Navy. When we had the fight with 
the Spanish gunboat we put a five-inch shell in her boilers, broke three of 
their best guns and blew up three houses in the city. 

The Lighthouse Blown Up. 

" In the fight last Wednesday the Spaniards had a troop of men in the 
lighthouse. We did not see them at first, but when we did see them we 
blew up the lighthouse, and I don't think there was a man got out of the 
place. We could see the shore plainly, but did not see a man leave the 
lighthouse after we blew it up. We can standoff 1,000 yards and blow up 
the best house that was ever put up. They have eight gunboats in the har- 
bor, and they have not got the nerve to come out here where we are, and we 
have got only three ships." 

On May 18th, being at sea, Mr. Coleman wrote: "After writing the 
other day I got some more news. We went up to the Cubans' camp; 
some Cuban officers came out to see our captain, and said that in the fight 
we killed 350 men. In the first fight we had we killed 50 men. We cut 
three cables at Cienfuegos and it was a pretty hard job. The men who were 
wounded are doing very nicely, and we expect they will pull through all 
right." 

He speaks of being ordered back to Key West, discusses the superior 
marksmanship of the Americans, and adds this incident : " We sent two of 
our ships out to chase a steamer last night, and our ships ran into each other, 



86 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



but did not do much harm. At night we don't have a light on the ship, and 
on a dark night it is pretty hard to see a ship until you get up close." 

The next fight of any importance was at Guantanamo, where 600 United 
States marines were landed June nth. The Spaniards were there in force 
and made repeated attacks on the marines. Reports of the fighting came in 
the following despatches which were received at Washington : 

"United States Camp, entrance to Guantanamo Bay, June 12, via Kings- 
ton, June 13. — Heavy loss was caused to the Spaniards by the attack on the 
marines' camps last evening and complete repulse. The liveliest firing began 
according to best accounts, after midnight and lasted until daybreak. At 
times there was a heavy fusillade on both sides. Lieutenants Neville and 
Shaw, with thirty men, were on picket duty all night and were attacked by a 
heavy force of Spaniards. All the men killed were in this detachment, except 
Dr. Gibbs, who was shot while in camp. 

" Reinforcements have been landed from the Texas and Marblehead. 
They consisted of sixty men and two rapid-fire guns. It was decided by 
Colonel Huntington to abandon the position first occupied as a camp, as 
there were no signs of reinforcements of troops, and it was known that a 
force of Spaniards, six times more numerous than the marine battalion, was 
in the vicinity. Therefore, the crest of the hill, which the troops held last 
night, was given up to batteries and rifle pits, and the tents were pitched on 
the side of the hill near the harbor, which is protected by the warships. The 
men are suffering greatly from heat and thirst, but they are all behaving 
splendidly in and out of fire." 

Story of Marines' Brave Fight. 

"Camp McCalla, Guantanamo Bay, June 12, via Mole St. Nicholas, 
June 13. — The wonder is that the Spaniards did not drive the United States 
marines from this first American post on Cuban soil pell-mell into the sea. 
There are only 600 marines here. They fought in the open with but few rifle 
pits, trenches or hiding places, yet in these exposed positions they never 
flinched and stood their ground bravely. 

" The trampled brush shows that the attack was made by a heavy body 
of the enemy. Their number is estimated by the Cuban insurgents at more 
than 2000, it being known that there are about 3500 Spanish troops in and 
about Guantanamo. Had the Spaniards boldly charged the devoted band of 
marines, they must have won a victory by sheer force of numbers, but they 
were reluctant to engage, and did nothing more than drive in the pickets, the 
men killed, with the exception of Dr. Gibbs, all being on the outer line when 
the heaviest attack began. 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



87 



" There was never a sign of wavering nor retreat on the part of the 
Americans. The marines kept their formation and fired regularly at every 
flash. When the Spaniards made a feint of charging, the Americans sent up 
a cheer and plugged away at the advancing enemy with such energy and pre- 
cision that the Dons were quick to retreat into the cover again. 

"The greatest difficulty of Colonel Huntington and his officers was to 
keep the marines from charging the enemy, which in the imperfect knowledge 
of the country and the disposition of the opposing forces, would have been 
folly. But the men were eager to get to close quarters and avenge the death 
of their comrades. The first attack was when the men were bathing and 
carrying water. Then the enemy were driven off, and a beating of the bush 
did not reveal their line of retreat. Evidently this was a party of reconnois- 
sance. 

"About 9 o'clock at night the attack was resumed with more vigor and 
by a much superior force. The Spaniards made their presence known at the 
edge of a small island about a mile to the northeast. Their shots were fired 
at too long a range to be effective and their attack was evidently intended to 
distract attention from the main movement on the mainland and perhaps to 
keep the Marblehead's men going that way. Thirteen marines were detailed 
with a three-inch field gun to attend to this first attacking party. By the 
time they had got the range of the island further firing from that direction 
ceased. 

Fighting in the Dense Brush. 

"Then came the firing from the nearer woods; and Colonel Huntington 
got a second three-inch gun and placed it in position on the summit of the 
hill on which Camp McCalla is located. Skirmish lines were thrown out and 
the men found plenty to do in matching the Indian warfare of the enemy, who 
are accustomed to brush campaigning. They popped away whenever a 
Mauser rifle spoke from the dark and kept up their work all night, though 
outnumbered and at times apparently surrounded. 

" There were thirty of these men under command of First Lieutenant 
Neville and Second Lieutenant Shaw. For eighteen hours these men with- 
stood the first shock of the conflict, and it was supposed for a time that they 
were captured or killed. But in the morning all but Sergeant Smith and 
Privates McColgan and Dunphy came back, bitten by mosquitoes, scathed and 
bruised, but safe. The entire camp gave them a welcoming shout as they 
came up. 

" 1 We want water, inside and out,' was Lieutenant Neville's first remark. 
" ' We killed five of them that we know of, and I think more than double 
that number were carried away with holes in their hides,' said Lieutenant 



88 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



Shaw. Sergeant Smith was shot through the abdomen while scouting. His 
companions guarded his body after death. 

" It was between I and 2 o'clock in the morning that Smith was killed. 
With Private Brown he had gone out in the first volley east of the camp. 
The Spaniard opened fire on them and began closing in from three sides. 
Both Americans fired rapidly and then retreated, returned flash for flash, shot 
for shot. As Smith climbed a ledge of rocks his form was brought into sil- 
houette against the sky, and a Mauser bullet pierced him. 

" ' I'm done,' he called to Brown. ' Get back as fast as you can.' Brown 
carried the sergeant to a place of comparative safety, but understood that he 
was mortally hit. So the private made the best of his way back to camp, 
reporting Smith's loss. The body was recovered at daybreak. 

" Dr. Gibbs was killed some time before Smith, or a little before I 
o'clock in the morning. It was just at this hour that the Spaniards were fir- 
ing fastest and had brought most of their men into battle. Many of the bul- 
lets whizzed about the hospital tent, and it was suggested that it would be 
well to retire to the shelter of the ruins of the blockhouse, partially destroyed 
when the marines landed. 

" ' Well, I don't care to be killed here,' said Dr. Gibbs, and with Private 
Edgar and Sullivan started for the blockhouse. 

Dr. Gibbs Mortally Wounded. 

" He had not gone twenty feet before a Mauser bullet pierced his head 
and he fell into the arms of Sullivan. He was carried to the blockhouse and 
placed in the partly-constructed trench which the marines had thrown up 
there. At about this time the Marblehead's searchlight showed a party of 
Spaniards about 200 yards from the lower end of the camp. They had been 
firing rapidly, but as soon as the light was turned on them they ran rapidly 
for the depths of the forest. It was supposed that these men killed Dr. 
Gibbs. 

" But Colonel Alfrado Laborde, a Cuban leader, says that Gibbs was 
shot by guerrillas who made a demonstration along the beach. 'As I was 
standing in the shadow of the hospital tent/ said the colonel this morning, * I 
saw a small guerrilla party sneak out along the beach and begin firing in our 
direction. Just at this time Dr. Gibbs threw up his hands and fell. So I 
feel sure his death may be laid to the guerrillas and not to the regulars.' 

" The two privates probably were killed early in the evening, but no 
man saw them fall, so the exact time is not known. Sergeant Smith was 
reported lost long before he really was killed or captured. McColgan and 
Dunphy were not on hand for the hasty meal in the afternoon between the 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



89 



two engagements, but neither were others of the scouting party. The two 
men, however, may have been killed in the first engagement early in the day. 

"At least a dozen attacks were made between dusk and dawn. The 
hottest firing was at about the time Dr. Gibbs was killed. Then the enemy 
had drawn a cordon about the swamp from three sides. The attacks, how- 
ever, were never very bold. The Spaniards would jump out from cover, fire 
a volley or two, make an advance and then run, once the marines got their 
location and range. 

Marblehead Shelled the Woods. 

" There was no telling, however, at what moment the Spaniards would 
make a rush. So about 2 o'clock in the morning the signal officers sent a 
message to the Marblehead: 'Shell the woods.' Commander McCalla 
evidently thought that Colonel Huntington was hard pressed, for he sent 
reinforcements from the Marblehead's marines and at once turned his six- 
inch guns on the thickets, where the searchlights had from time to time shown 
the hiding and elusive enemy, 

" This shelling was kept up until well into the day, though once the 
shells began to scream the Spaniards were far less bold and their fire rapidly 
grew fainter and fainter. There is no way of estimating the loss of the Span- 
iards. The scouts with Lieutenant Neville are certain they bagged five. 
Beyond this it is impossible to see twenty feet into the night, but the Ameri- 
cans shot oftener than the Spaniards and were thoroughly composed during 
all the night. 

" The field pieces were not used after the first firing because the scouts 
and pickets were so far out that it was feared they would be hit But the shells 
from the Marblehead may have done some execution. 

" Lieutenants Neville and Shaw were publicly commended for their 
bravery. They and their men were eighteen hours in the hottest of it, their 
mouths parched, stung by myriads of insects and constantly exposed. But 
they not only did not waver, but went right in wherever the enemy seemed to 
show in greatest force. Some of the Spaniards who deployed on the beach 
took a few shots at the Marblehead, and Mauser bullets were found on the 
cruiser's decks this morning. The cruiser retaliated by keeping up the shell- 
ing of the woods and the main road until long after daylight. 

" The Texas came in from the Santiago fleet this morning to replenish 
her coal bunkers. When told of the fighting, she sent ashore forty marines 
and two automatic Colt machine guns. The Marblehead also added a few 
men to those already sent. The Spaniards had mounted two guns on the 
west side of the harbor, and blazed away with them late this morning. A 
few shells from the Texas stopped their nonsense. The guns were not of 



90 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



sufficient range to reach the Americans, and, in fact, the gunners did not 
attempt to fire after the Texas opened on them." 

Following the foregoing account the narrative tells of the capture of the 
stone fort and the heroic conduct of our gallant marines : 

" The next day was comparatively quiet, but when night came on things 
changed. The Spanish forces were greatly augmented and in the dark were 
bolder in their attack. By eight o'clock they began firing volleys. Some of 
them crept to the very edge of the brush, not more than thirty yards from the 
hill, behind which Fort McCalla is sheltered. From this close range they 
were driven by one of those heroic dashes for which Lieutenant Neville seems 
destined to become famous. 

" With a small squad of men he was sent to dislodge the advance pickets 
of the enemy, and his men followed him with a will. The Spaniards, who 
had been popping at every shadow in the camp, fled when the American 
pickets came along down their way. They discharged their rifles as fast as 
they possibly could empty the magazines, but evidently took little aim. The 
marines passed on along the edge of the timber and up to the side of a precipice 
near the coast, from which point a spattering fire had been kept up all day, 
and where Lieutenant Neville had previously located a small stone house, 
which the Spaniards used as a fort. 

Americans Ambushed by the Foe. 

" As the Americans pressed along the slope, following a blind trail, they 
nearly fell into an ambush. There was a sudden firing from all directions, a 
great yelling and a charge of a numerous body. Sergeant Major Henry 
Goode was shot through the right breast and soon died. The Americans 
were forced back upon the edge of the precipice, and an effort made to rush 
them over. 

" The rush was checked almost as suddenly as it had begun, and the 
Spaniards fell back, -carrying their dead and wounded towards the stone 
house. Then Lieutenant Neville showed the fighting stuff in him. He 
ordered a charge. The Americans swarmed after the fleeing Spaniards, 
shooting and cheering as they charged. They went right up against the 
stone fort. 

" The Spaniards evidently were not prepared for any such heroic warfare, 
for they left the stone fort in confusion, after the briefest kind of a stand, and 
Neville's men occupied the place to stave off any further rush by the enemy. 
Then the first effect of the American fire was seen. Fifteen dead Spaniards 
lay in that little stone inclosure, one of them being a lieutenant. The wounded, 
however, had been carried away. 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



91 



. " The Spaniards had had enough in that direction, and did not return to 
the attack. So Neville had time to gather his dead and wounded, and make 
his way back to camp. This was the best fighting yet. The American and 
the Spaniard were face to face, and the Spaniard couldn't stand the strain. 
The dead men in the stone house told how well the marines can handle their 
Lee-Metfords when the enemy shows from the cover. 

Charge of Spaniards Repulsed. 

" During all this time the fort had not been having a quiet time. The 
Spaniards had pressed up again, and made a charge in force. But six field 
pieces were brought to bear on them, and they fled without doing any 
damage." 

A letter dated June 1 5th furnishes a concise account of the bloody en- 
gagement at Guantanamo : 

" Pelted by a blazing tropical sun, harassed by the persistent fire of dare- 
devil Spanish guerrillas, and handicapped by lack of training and absolute 
inexperience, the 600 marines of Lieutenant Huntingdon have within the 
week battered their way to what should be to them lasting fame. Schooled 
for the easy life of marines aboard ship, and unfitted for severe physical exer- 
tion by weeks of inactivity on the cramped decks of the troopship Panther, 
they have rushed into the hardships and dangers of a guerrilla campaign with 
the steady nerves and patient endurance of veterans of a dozen wars. 

" The cowardly retreat of the enemy under the Marblehead's guns had 
led the American officers to believe that there was little possibility of an 
attack, and but slight preparations were made to repel one. Just before sun- 
set the troops were thrown into line, and for the first time the American flag 
was run up a Spanish flagstaff, and the vanguard of the army of invasion 
saluted the Stars and Stripes on Spanish soil. 

" About midnight the crack of a single rifle from the brush to the east of 
the camp gave the first warning of the presence of the enemy. The quick 
challenge of a sentry was answered by a scattering volley from the brush, and 
in a moment the hill was alive with startled, half-awake marines, groping for 
guns and acting mechanically under the sharp commands of their officers. 
Within two minutes 100 American rifles had sent their bullets in the direc- 
tion of the enemy, and five minutes later a hail of lead was hammering through 
the chaparral, every man of the 600 at his post. 

" The guerrillas scattered in all directions, but throughout the night their 
bullets whirled over the camp at intervals, each volley drawing the fire of 
Huntington's men. As the night wore on without a determined attack the 
men began to view the affair as a huge joke, and much difficulty was experi- 



92 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



enced by the officers in keeping their commands under shelter. Throughout 
Saturday there were frequent scattering shots from the bushwhackers and 
returns from the hill, but no damage was done in Camp McCalla, and pro- 
bably little to the enemy. 

"With dawn Sunday the bushwhackers retreated into the hills, and 
although there was scattering fire little work was done until about 4 o'clock 
in the afternoon. At that hour a body of Spanish skirmishers was discovered 
a little more than a mile to the eastward, and the Panther and Marblehead let 
go their guns, apparently with telling effect. The loss of life among the 
Spanish must have been heavy, although there was no opportunity to accu- 
rately determine how many were killed. Towards midnight Colonel La 
Borda, of the Cuban army, arrived with sixty men, and their camp was pitched 
near the site of the burning village, a supply camp under the guard of twenty 
marines having also been placed there. 

Bitterest Night of the Week. 

" With darkness began the bitterest night of the week for the Americans. 
Exhausted by their unwonted exertions, without sleep for forty-eight hours 
and worn with intense excitement, they were in no condition for a hard fight. 
The Spaniards had evidently determined that the camp was to be recaptured 
that night. They began at 8 o'clock with heavy firing from their favorite 
position, on the ridge to the eastward. For an hour they poured their shot 
from that vicinity, slightly shifting their position frequently under the heavy 
fire of the marines. The latter fired as coolly and deliberately as though at 
target practice. 

" After an hour and a half the fire from their field pieces and rifles dis- 
lodged the enemy, but within an interval of scarcely a half hour the Mauser 
bullets began again to whistle over Huntington's men, this time from the 
north. The steady work from the hilltop again silenced the Spaniards and 
another interval of res~t succeeded. The next attack was from the ridge close 
to the water and to the seaward from the American position. The enemy 
crept right down to the beach, firing up the hill at the camp, out over the 
bay at the fleet, and along the shore at the supply camp and the Cubans 
beyond. 

" The night's rest put the men in better spirits, and Tuesday Colonel 
Huntington decided on an aggressive movement. Five miles to the eastward 
lay the principal camp of the guerrillas, a little village of shacks built around 
a large well, the only one left within a radius of five or six miles, and there- 
fore of the highest importance. Already a well near the coast had been de- 
stroyed by a shell from the Dolphin. At 8 o'clock Tuesday morning 200 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



93 



marines started for the Spanish rendezvous, accompanied by fifty Cubans, 
under Colonel La Borda. 

" The march was a fearful one. The sun beating viciously down on the 
little command was almost as much to be feared as the Spanish, and before 
the battle ground was reached twenty-two men had fallen affected by the 
heat. The surgeon in attendance was able to get them all on their feet, and 
not a man missed the finish. The Spanish lay on the side of a ridge facing 
and not more than a mile from the sea. 

Spaniards Routed 

" It was noon when from the top of the nearest hill Captain Elliott 
caught sight of the enemy on the ridge below him. The men were quickly 
formed in line of battle, the Cubans on the left flank, and a stealthy approach 
through the thick underbrush began. The Americans were within 250 yards 
of the camp, when a startled Spanish sentry yelled out a warning, fired his 
rifle and disappeared behind a shack. 

" A moment later a volley burst from behind the huts and trees, and 
dropping on their knees the marines fired. As steadily as through a drill 
they settled themselves to their work. Their aim was deliberate and their 
firing deadly. The sun came fiercely down upon their heads, cacti pierced 
their clothes and pierced their hands and Spanish bullets sang continually 
above them, but not a hand trembled and not a man flinched. It was a splen- 
did exhibition of cool bravery, and without a doubt it had its effect upon the 
enemy." 

A letter received from a young marine who went from Philadelphia gives 
an account of the writer's experiences in the fight the marines waged with the 
Spanish forces who tried to drive the brave band of Uncle Sam's defenders 
from Camp McCalla and into the sea. The letter is as follows : 

" We landed here last Friday, and from that time until now we have been 
fighting day and night. The Spaniards did not wait for us to get on shore be- 
fore they began fighting, but while the boats were still out at sea they lined 
up on the hills and poured an incessant fire upon us. In the same boat with 
me were Jim McDonough and McKinley — you remember them — and they 
were as anxious to get at the Spaniards as I was. When our boat got within 
fifty feet of the shore the firing upon it was heavy, but we never flinched ; in- 
stead, we hurried all the faster to the shore. When we reached it every man 
was as cool as if a Spaniard was not within a thousand miles of us. 

" We were ordered to unsling our knapsacks, haversacks and canteens, 
and you can readily guess how long it took us to do this. And then came 
the order to charge upon the Spaniards. We started up the mountains 



94 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



cheering wildly. It was a long climb, but every one of us got to the top at 
last, and in a very short time the Spaniards were fleeing in all directions. 

" That was the beginning of the fight, and it has continued since then 
without cessation until an hour ago. Not a man has had a chance to wash 
or to take off his clothes. We are having a little rest now, for the Spaniards 
have been scattered by a heavy fire we have been directing against them all 
morning. But I fear it is only a breathing spell, for already we can see the 
enemy forming again on the mountains. 

" The hardest fighting, though, we had two nights ago, when the 
Spaniards attacked us twice, once at 7 o'clock and again at 3 o'clock. Both 
times they were repulsed, but on the second attack they got quite near our 
stores of shot and shell. At the time I was manning a 3-1'nch cannon, and 
when they got near enough I fired the gun, and the men supporting let go 
with their rifles. That checked them a little. 

" In the meantime I was trying to reload the cannon, but for some reason 
or another the breech would not work. Finally, I had to give up trying to 
reload, and then I began popping away with my revolver. It was not until 
the Spaniards had been completely repulsed that I was able to fix the cannon. 
The next day, when the officers heard how we had stood by the gun under 
such heavy fire they praised us heartily, and so did our comrades. 

Ever on the Alert. 

" I suppose you know already that we have buried six men. To all of 
us it is a seven days' wonder that every one has not been killed, and let me 
tell you we have had to keep our eyes wide open all the time to prevent the 
Spaniards from slaughtering us to the last man. Of course, all danger is not 
over yet, but we have determined to hold out until reinforcements come. We 
have planted the flag, and it would be a disgrace to haul it down." 

Another letter ran as follows : 

" Guantanamo, June 22, 1898. — Dear Sister : I suppose you have by this 
time read of our success. We are the first to land in Cuba, and put up the 
American flag, and keep it there. We left Key West the 7th of June, and 
landed on the nth. We went up the hill and put up our tents. The 
Spaniards could have massacred us all that night, but they waited till the next 
day and crawled through the bushes and shot through the tents. We got 
up and fired for three hours steadily, and then went to our tents again and 
slept about twenty minutes, when they attacked us again. We turned out 
and fought for thirteen straight hours, and drove them back three miles. 

"We placed our outposts at about two miles and they sneaked up and 
killed two of them. They cut them all up with machetes. The next day 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



9o 



three hundred of us went out and attacked about six hundred of them. We 
came out on top, killing ninety- two Spaniards, wounding 100 and capturing 
nineteen. We lost two Cubans and had one of our men wounded, and they 
have not bothered us since. 

" It is pretty hard on us. We were up the first seventy-two hours after 
we landed. You ought to see me. I did not wash my face for a week. In 
fact, I did not have the chance. When we landed, we burned the village 
down, for fear of disease being in it. Three days ago the ships went across 
the harbor and bombarded the fort and shelled the town, and killed about five 
hundred. Five Spaniards got past the pickets and killed our doctor. So far, 
we have lost four in all, out of six hundred. 

Relics of the Battle. 

" Enclosed you will find the shell that I killed a Spaniard with. He was 
within twenty yards of me. You will also find some Spanish officer's domi- 
noes, a Spanish bullet, and an American bullet. The Spanish bullet has D. 
M. K, 1895-96, on it, and the United States has W. R. A. Co., U. S. N., on it. 
I tried to get a Spanish poisoned bullet, but I could not." 

Still another of our brave sailors made a record for himself, which he 
reports in a letter written home to his mother. He says : 

" I write you these lines to let you know that I am enjoying the best of 
health and hope to hear the same of the folks at home. No doubt you have 
read of the fight we had with the Spanish torpedo destroyer and the cruiser. 
It seems to me that those Spaniards had an idea that we were no good ; that 
we did not know how to fight, but I am inclined to believe that we have suc- 
ceeded in changing their opinion somewhat. I forgot to mention in my last 
letter to father that I had been rated as gun captain and coxswain. 

" Well, to tell you about the fight. We had been finding fault with 
everybody and everything for the past few weeks because we were not getting 
a chance to see any of the fighting. Somewhere I have read that everything 
comes to him who waits, and in this case the old maxim proved itself true. 
Our first chance presented itself at Guantanamo, where we were called on to 
join the Cubans in a land attack. Here we had several nights of first-class 
fighting on shore, and although at times it grew rather hot we only lost few 
men. How many the Spaniards lost I cannot say, but judge that their report 
to Spain will read 100 Americans killed and ten Spaniards slightly wounded. 
That is the way they generally report their victories. 

" Since being rated gun captain I am on deck and have a chance to see 
all that is going on. When the torpedo boat made her appearance outside the 
harbor the shores were lined with men. women and children who were shout- 



96 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



ing and yelling like mad at the thought of the torpedo boat sinking us. They 
thought they would witness a sight never to be forgotten, and of course we 
did not like to disappoint them. They have repeatedly called us pigs, and we 
thought this would be a chance to redeem our reputation and show them that 
the American Jacks were gentlemen by birth and education. 

Deadly Work of a Five-inch Shell. 

" The torpedo boat came straight for us with the apparent intention of 
sending us to Davy Jones' locker on limited time. Unfortunately, they did 
not count on us having any guns on board, or if they knew it they forgot it 
for the moment and on they came. Well, I must say that I was somewhat 
surprised that Lieutenant Powelson did not order me to pull the trigger at 
once, but he is a cool, level headed fellow, and he held his fire until they came 
within direct range, and I tell you when he gave the word I did most certainly 
pull, and when the five-inch shell left the nozzle she was out for trouble. 

"They had opened their throttle twenty-seven knots and had ready a 
torpedo to launch as soon as they reached the proper place, but they never 
reached it. Our five-inch shell met them on the way, and there were three 
dead Spaniards on the destroyer — a chief engineer and a first and second 
assistant — minus heads, legs and arms. As soon as the cruiser saw the tor- 
pedo boat making for refuge it turned tail and did the same, and it was fortunate 
that it did, for we would have given it some of the same prescription, and it 
would have found it rather unpleasant to take. 

" When they came out they both had the largest flags they could get fly- 
ing, and to show them that we could do as well at display as they could we 
just raised our twenty-six foot one. They claim they had some French gun- 
ners at Porto Rico, and I don't know just how true it is, but whatever they 
were they did not know much about their business, for they could not hit 
within two hundred yards of us." 

Lieutenant Neville, already mentioned, related as follows his part in the 
fight: 

" I had ten men and Lieutenant Shaw had as many. We went out to- 
gether to beat up the enemy and separated about a mile from camp, intending 
to beat back by different ways. Soon I began to hear the cuckoos sing. They 
called from all directions. I had heard that this was the war call of the guer- 
rillas, and so was on the watch for enemies. But no man showed himself and 
at 5.30 o'clock we formed a vedette and began eating a light supper. 

" Suddenly there was a volley from the mountains. My coat and hat 
were torn off, and without waiting to pick them up, I pushed right in with my 
men, going toward the direction of the firing. They kept popping away and 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



97 



we cut loose at them. This went on for twenty minutes. I saw two Spaniards 
drop. Others that we saw running had wrapped leaves and grass and branches 
about their bodies, so it was hard to distinguish them from the undergrowth. 
Night shut in while we were still popping away. Then, at 1 1 o'clock, I gave 
Sergeant Smith a lookout station while I went on a reconnoissance. He was 
killed and dreadfully mutilated, while I was absent. 

Had to Leave Smith's Body. 

"The cuckoos now began to sing again fr^m all sides of us, and I realized 
what I had suspected, that the cuckoo's song was the signal of the Spaniards. 
We picked up Smith's body and carried it toward the camp. The way led 
along a narrow path, and from either side of it the Spanish opened fire on us. 
I ordered my men to drop the body and to get clear of the Spaniards, which 
they did in about ten minutes. 

a While stopping to rest among the trees we stumbled upon some bodies. 
They were the remains of a lieutenant and four colored men, who had evi- 
dently been shot by some of our men in one of the skirmishes of the early 
morning. We stuck to the woods all night. Just before daybreak the 
cuckoos began to sing again, and I came across Lieutenant Lucas, who said 
we were completely surrounded. But we held our ground, and after a time 
reinforcements came from the camp." 

High on the ridge where the marines pitched their tents on the shore of 
Guantanamo Bay, the first Cuban soil taken by American troops, are the 
graves of the men who were killed in the first land-fighting of our war with 
Spain. They were buried under fire by men who overlooked no tithe of the 
solemn ceremony, although the singing of Spanish bullets rose clear above 
the voice of the chaplain. 

The burial squad was composed of marines from the Texas. Wrapped 
in flags, the honorable winding-sheet of soldiers killed in battle, the bodies 
were borne from a tent, in which they had lain, to a trench dug by men who 
made it deep, because their fear that the drenching Cuban rains would give 
their comrades to the buzzards was greater than their fear of the death they 
risked as they plied pick and shovel. 

Chaplain Jones, of the Texas, the firing squad, a few officers and some 
correspondents, stood bareheaded about the grave. From the thick cover 
beyond there came the irregular "putt, putt, putt" of skirmish fire and the 
regular sputter of the machine guns. There marines and Spanish guerillas 
were fighting from thicket to thicket. Soon there would be more dead to 
bury, we thought. 

Gently the men of the Texas lowered the flag wound "jollies" — " Soldier 
7 



98 



FIRST BATTLES ON CUBAN SOIL. 



and sailor, too/' as Kipling has it — into the earth. The chaplain stood with 
his back to the cover from which came the rattle of musketry, and began the 
solemn service. Slow and deliberate fell the words, and seldom has their 
import been realized more fully than it was there at the edge of the bullet- 
threshed jungle. 

" Man that is born of woman" — A bullet pecked the earth at his feet and 
sent it flying. Others sang overhead. Some leaves and twigs fell from the 
nearest trees. A man or two dropped behind the earth thrown out of the 
grave. The Spanish were firing on the burial party. 

Last Rites Over the Dead. 

The marines of the Texas raised their heads for a second and bowed them 
again. They made no other motion. The officer in command, pale ordin- 
arily, flushed red as if angered by the enemy's sacrilege. 

The chaplain moved a pace from where he was standing, and turned his 
face toward the thicket from which the bullets were coming. Then his words 
fell slowly and gravely — " Man that is born of woman" — and so to the end. 

As he faced the fire those who had sought shelter stood up instantly and 
bowed their heads reverently. The fire slackened — ceased. The earth fell 
on the flags and covered them and the heroes wrapped within. A man or two 
dropped a tear and a tender, parting word to his comrades, and the burial 
party, its duty fittingly done, 'moved seaward over the crest of the ridge out 
of range. 

Half way down the crooked path which led to the landing two of the men 
who had stood steadily at the grave were marked by a Spanish sharpshooter, 
and a Mauser bullet " pinged " above them. They ran for cover like startled 
game, for the funeral was over and they had no desire to make another. But 
the men who were at the grave that day will remember long and with a 
solemn sense of their great lesson the words, ''Man that is born of woman." 



CHAPTER VI. 



Hobson Tells the Story of the Sinking of the Merrimac. 

HE most thrilling episode of the long blockade and one that will be 
marked in history as an act of the highest heroism, was the sink- 
ing of the Merrimac, early on the morning of Friday, June 3d, by 
Richmond P. Hobson, and seven men, in the narrow channel leading 
into the harbor of Santiago, thus effectively " bottling up " Cervera's fleet. 

While the blockading fleet was ceaseless in its vigilance, there was danger 
that the enemy might come out at any time and some of the vessels, at least, 
escape. With Cervera's fleet were some torpedo boats, at that time, because 
of their speed, feared by the cruisers and battleships, and one night two of them 
had come out of the harbor and threatened the Texas, but had gone back 
without doing any damage. 

The situation was a trying one, and all over our country people were 
anxious as to the outcome. Many wondered why Sampson and Schley did 
not go into the harbor, like Dewey at Manila, and " capture or destroy the 
enemy," to use a now famous phrase. At the same time, now and then, was 
to be found one to suggest that the Spanish fleet should be bottled up. In the 
New York Herald, under date of May 25th, Wittmer wrote : " The harbor of 
Santiago is very narrow, and at its entrance a half dozen old iron steamers 
laden with stone should be sunk. In this way, the Spanish fleet will be 
bottled up and corked up." 

At the same time, the same thought had occured to Lieutenant Hobson, 
at that time assistant naval constructor on Admiral Sampson's flagship, and 
he promptly proposed to attempt the deed himself, assisted by a few volun- 
teers. The plan was approved by Admiral Sampson. Volunteers were 
called for and whole cheering crews stepped forward for the hazardous adven- 
ture. About three hundred in the New York, one hundred and eighty in the 
Iowa and like proportions in the other vessels volunteered. Mr. Hobson 
picked three men from the New York and three from the Merrimac. Besides 
them one man went as a stowaway against orders. 

The names of these seven men, whose heroism will be traditional in 
naval annals were : Daniel Montague, of Brooklyn, 29 years old, chief master- 
at-arms of the New York; George Charette, 31 years old, of Lowell, Mass., 
gunner's mate on the New York ; J. C. Murphy, coxswain of the Iowa; Osborn 

99 



100 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



Deignan, 24 years old, coxswain of the Merrimac; John F. Philips, 36 years 
old, of Boston, machinist on the Merrimac; Francis Kelly, 35 years, of Glas- 
gow, Scotland, a water tender, and R. Clausen, coxswain of the New York, who 
went without orders. The Merrimac had on board six hundred tons of coal. 

The plan had been well thought out by Lieutenant Hobson, and every 
detail had been foreseen. Sitting in his cabin on the flagship just before 
leaving on his perilous trip, Hobson said : 

" I shall go right into the harbor until about four hundred yards past 
the Estrella battery, which is behind Morro Castle. I do not think they can 
sink me before I reach somewhere near that point. The Merrimac has seven 




HARBOR AND FORTIFICATIONS OF SANTIAGO. 

The star shows where the Merrimac was sunk. 



thousand tons buoyancy, and I shall keep her full speed ahead. She can 
make about ten knots. 

" When the narrowest part of the channel is reached I shall put her helm 
hard aport, stop the^engines, drop the anchors, open the sea connections, 
touch off the torpedoes and leave the Merrimac a wreck, lying athwart the 
channel, which is not as broad as the Merrimac is long. 

" There are ten 8-inch improvised torpedoes below the water line on the 
Merrimac's port side. They are placed on her side against the bulkheads 
and vital spots, connected with each other by a wire under the ship's keel. 
Each torpedo contains eighty-two pounds of gunpowder. Each torpedo is 
also connected with the bridge, and they should do their work in a minute, 
and it will be quick work even if done in a minute and a quarter. 

" On deck there will be four men and myself. In the engine room there 
will be two other men. This is the total crew and all of us will be in our 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



101 



underclothing, with revolvers and ammunition in the watertight packing 
strapped around our waists. Forward there will be a man on deck, and 
around his waist will be a line, the other end of the line being made fast to 
the bridge, where I will stand. 

" By that man's side will be an axe. When I stop the engines I shall 
jerk this cord, and he will thus get the signal to cut the lashing which will 
be holding the forward anchor. He will then jump overboard and swim to 
the four-oared dingy which we shall tow astern. The dingy is full of life 
buoys, and is unsinkable. In it are rifles. It is to be held by two ropes, 
one made fast at her bow, and one at her stern. The first man to reach her 
will haul in the tow line, and pull the dingy out to starboard. The next to 
leave the ship are the rest of the crew. The quartermaster at the wheel will 
not leave until after having put it hard aport, and lashed it so ; he will then 
jump overboard. 

" Down below the man at the reversing gear will stop the engines, 
scramble on deck, and get over the side as quickly as possible. 

" The man in the engine room will break open the sea connections with 
a sledge hammer, and will follow his leader into the water. This last step 
insures the sinking of the Merrimac, whether the torpedoes work or not. 

" By this time I calculate the six men will be in the dingy, and the Mer- 
rimac will have swung athwart the channel to the full length of her three 
hundred yards of cable, which will have been paid out before the anchors 
were cut loose. 

"Then all that is left for me is to touch the button. I shall stand on 
the starboard side of the bridge. The explosion will throw the Merrimac on 
her starboard side. Nothing on this side of New York city will be able to 
raise her after that." 

Ready to Meet Death. 

" And you expect to come out of this alive ? " asked a companion of Mr. 
Hobson. Mr. Hobson said : — 

" I suppose the Estrella battery will fire down on us a bit, but the ships 
will throw their searchlights in the gunners' faces, and they won't see much 
of us. Then, if we are torpedoed, we should even then be able to make the 
desired position in the channel. It won't be so easy to hit us, and I think 
the men should be able to swim to the dingy. I may jump before I am 
blown up. But I don't see that it makes much difference what I do. I have 
a fair chance of life either way. If our dingy gets shot to pieces we shall 
then try to swim for the beach right under Morro Castle. We shall keep 
together at all hazards. Then, we may be able to make our way alongside 
and perhaps get back to the ship. We shall fight the sentries or a squad 



102 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



until the last, and we shall only surrender to overwhelming numbers, and 
our surrender will only take place as a last and almost uncontemplated emer- 
gency." 

Just before the Merrimac started on her last desperate run, she was 
hailed by one of the newspaper boats. Hobson's last words to the corres- 
pondents were : " Now pardon me, but in case you gentlemen write any- 
thing of this expedition, please don't say anything individually about its 
members until you know." 

He accented the last word ; and the inference was plain — until you know 
we are dead would have filled out the sentence. 

While the correspondents were on the bridge of the Merrimac a young 
officer from the Marblehead came aboard on business. As he left he said : — 
"Shall we send you fellows over some breakfast? We would be delighted, 
and can do it just as well as not." 

" Never mind about the breakfast, old man," responded Mr. Hobson, 
" but if you can send some coffee we would be very glad. You see we are 
swept pretty clean here, and none of us have had a drop of coffee since day 
before yesterday." 

It was a trivial incident, but coming from a man doomed to almost cer- 
tain death, it seemed to add the last touch of the pathetic to a situation heart- 
breaking enough in itself. 

Had an Ovation on Their Return. 

Mr. Hobson, after accomplishing the task he had chosen — and that it 
was well done was proven by the fact that the Spanish ships were prevented 
from navigating the narrow channel at night, when the chance to escape was 
better — was captured by Admiral Cervera himself, who came out in a launch 
for inspection. Hobson's experience is best told by Hobson and his men 
upon their return to the American fleet, early in July, after they were 
exchanged. Their ^return through the American lines, which had then 
invested Santiago, was an ovation, such as few in the world's history of battles 
have ever experienced. 

Immediately after making his report to Admiral Sampson, upon his 
release by the Spaniards on July 7, Hobson described his exploit thus : 

" We have been thirty-three days in a Spanish prison, and the more I 
think about it the more marvellous it seems that we are alive. 

" It was about three o'clock in the morning when the Merrimac entered 
the narrow channel and steamed in under the guns of Morro Castle. The 
stillness of death prevailed. It was so dark that we could scarcely see the 
headland. We had planned to drop our starboard anchor at a certain point 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



103 



to the right of the channel, reverse our engines and then swing the Merrimac 
around, sinking her directly across the channel. 

" This plan was adhered to, but circumstances rendered its execution 
impossible. When the Merrimac poked her nose into the channel our 
troubles commenced. The dead silence was broken by the wash of a small 
boat approaching us from the direction of the shore. I made her out to be a 
picket boat. 

" She ran close up under the stern of the Merrimac and fired several shots 
from what seemed to be 3-pounder guns. The Merrimac's rudder was car- 
ried away by this fire. That is why the collier was not sunk across the 
channel. 

" We did not discover the loss of the rudder until Murphy cast anchor. 
We then found that the Merrimac would not answer to the helm, and were 
compelled to make the best of the situation. The run up the channel was 
very exciting. The picket boat had given the alarm, and in a moment the 
guns of the Vizcaya, the Almirante Oquendo and of the shore batteries were 
turned upon us. 

" Submarine mines and torpedoes also were exploded all about us, adding 
to the excitement. The mines did no damage, although we could hear rum- 
bling and could feel the ship tremble. We were running without lights, and 
only the darkness saved us from utter destruction. When the ship was in 
the desired position and we found that the rudder was gone I called the men 
on deck. While they were launching the catamaran I touched off the 
explosives. 

Collier Almost Rent Asunder. 

" At the same moment two torpedoes, fired by the Reina Mercedes, 
struck the Merrimac amidships. I cannot say whether our own explosives 
or the Spanish torpedoes did the work, but the Merrimac was lifted out of 
the water and almost rent asunder. As she settled down we scrambled over- 
board and cut away the catamaran. A great cheer went up from the forts 
and war ships as the hold of the collier foundered, the Spaniards thinking 
that the Merrimac was an American ship. 

" We attempted to get out of the harbor in the catamaran, but a strong 
tide was running, and daylight found us still struggling in the water. Then 
for the first time the Spaniards saw us, and a boat from the Reina Mercedes 
picked us up. It then was shortly after five o'clock in the morning, and we 
had been in the water more than an hour. We were taken aboard the Reina 
Mercedes and later were sent to Morro Castle. In Morro we were confined 
in cells in the inner side of the fortress, and were there the first day the fleet 
bombarded Morro. I could only hear the whistling of the shells and the 



104 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



noise they made when they struck, but I judged from the conversation of the 
guards that the shells did considerable damage. 

" After this bombardment Mr. Ramsden, the British Consul, protested, 
and we were removed to the hospital. There I was separated from the other 
men in our crew, and could see them only by special permission. Montague 
and Kelly fell ill two weeks ago, suffering from malaria, and I was permitted 
to visit them twice. Mr. Ramsden was very kind to us, and demanded that 
Montague and Kelly be removed to better quarters in the hospital. This 
was done. 

" As for myself, there is little to say. The Spanish were not disposed to 
do much for the comfort of any of the prisoners at first, but, after our army 
had taken some of their men as prisoners our treatment was better. Food is 
scarce in the city, and I was told that we fared better than the Spanish 

officers." 

The next morning he recounted his experiences more fully. 

" I did not miss the entrance to the harbor," he said, as Ensign Powell in 
the launch supposed. I headed east until I got my bearings and then made 
for it, straight in. Then came the firing. It was grand, flashing out first from 
one side of the harbor and then from the other, from those big guns on the 
hills, the Vizcaya, lying inside the harbor, joining in. 

Tide Drifted Her Around. 

' 'Troops from Santiago had rushed down when the news of the Merri- 
mac's coming was telegraphed, and soldiers lined the foot of the cliffs firing 
wildly across and killing each other with the cross fire. The Merrimac's 
steering gear broke as she got to Estrella Point. Only three of the torpedoes 
on her side exploded when I touched the button. A huge submarine mine 
caught her full amidships, hurling the water high in the air and tearing a great 
rent in the Merrimac's side. 

" Her stern ran upon Estrella Point. Chiefly owing to the work done by 
the mine she began to sink slowly. At that time she was across the channel, 
but before she settled the tide drifted her around. We were all aft, lying on the 
deck. Shells and bullets whistled around. Six-inch shells from the Vizcaya 
came tearing into the Merrimac, crashing into wood and iron and passing 
clear through, while the plunging shots from the fort broke through her decks. 

" ' Not a man must move,' I said; and it was only owing to the splendid 
discipline of the men that we all were not killed, and the shells rained over us 
and minutes became hours of suspense. The men's mouths grew parched, but 
we must lie there till daylight, I told them. Now and again one or the other 
of the men lying with his face glued to the deck and wondering whether the 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



105 



next shell would not come our way would say, ' Hadn't we better drop off 
now, sir?' but I said, 'Wait till daylight.' It would have been impossible to 
get the catamaran anywhere but on to the shore where the soldiers stood 
shooting, and I hoped that by daylight we might be recognized and saved. 
The grand old Merrimac kept sinking. I wanted to go forward and see the 
damage done there, where nearly all the fire was directed. One man said that 
if I rose it would draw all the fire on the rest, so I lay motionless. 

" It was splendid the way those men behaved. The fire of the soldiers, 
the batteries and the Vizcaya was awful. When the water came up on the 
Merrimac's decks the catamaran floated amid the wreckage, but she was still 
made fast to the boom, and we caught hold of the edges and clung on, our 
heads only being above water. 

" A Spanish launch came toward the Merrimac. We agreed to capture 
her and run. Just as she came close the Spaniards saw us, and half a dozen 
marines jumped up and pointed their rifles at our heads sticking out of the 
water. 

Oaptured by Oervera. 

" Is there any officer in that boat to receive a surrender of prisoners of 
war?" I shouted. An old man leaned out under the awning and waved his 
hand. It was Admiral Cervera. The marines lowered their rifles, and we 
were helped into the launch. 

" Then we were put in cells in Morro Castle. It was a grand sight a few 
days later, to see the bombardment, the shells striking and bursting around 
El Morro. Then we were taken into Santiago. I had the court martial room 
in the barracks. My men were kept prisoners in the hospital. 

" From my window I could see the army moving, and it was terrible to 
see these poor lads moving across the open and being shot down by the Span- 
iards in the rifle pits in front of me. 



Hobson was overjoyed at getting back. He looked well, though some- 
what worn. On the whole the Spaniards treated him better than might have 
been expected. Mr. Ramsden, the British consul at Santiago, was tireless in 
his efforts to secure comfort for Hobson and his men. The young hero knew 
nothing about the destruction of Cervera's fleet until he reached the army 
line. He could not understand his promised exceptional promotion, but was 
overjoyed to learn the news that his bravery had been recognized by the 
people. He was the same simple, unaffected, enthusiastic Hobson, more 
anxious to talk about the effect of exploding shells and army movements than 
his own brave deed. All of Hobson's men were released and returned to the 



106 HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 

American lines with him, and all were enthusiastic over their gallant young 
leader. 

" No braver or cooler man than Hobson ever lived," said John Kelly. 
"If it had not been for him matters would have gone much harder with us." 

" Yes," said John P. Phillips, chiming in, " he is a wonderful man. It is 
simply a miracle that all of us escaped without injury. When the Merrimac 
ran into the harbor Hobson stood on the bridge, smiling as he looked through 
his glasses, and saw how well we were progressing. He kept the collier 
headed straight toward the channel, and never faltered when bullets and shells 
came falling all about him. And later on, when we were taken aboard the 
Reina Mercedes, dressed only in wet underwear, which we had cut off at the 
knees, Hobson, as calm as ever, walked up to the commander of the Spanish 
vessel, saluted him and said, ' I demand whiskey for my men, who have been 
long exposed in the water.' 

"From the Reina Mercedes," Phillips continued, "we were sent to Morro 
Castle and kept in a vile place. Our guards kept making signs intimating 
that they would hang us." 

Officers Beat Privates. 

" During the first bombardment of Morro," said Randolph Clausen, 
another of the heroic band, '* the Spanish guards begged the Merrimac men 
to intercede for a cessation of the American fire. When the Spanish fleet was 
captured I saw Spanish officers beat the guards, and warn them not to show 
cowardice before 'American pigs.' " 

One of the Spanish guards told Clausen that the Spanish gunners had 
killed fourteen and wounded thirty-seven of their own men in firing on the 
Merrimac. He added that the hospitals were filled with wounded and sick 
men, who had been filled with rum and rushed to the front. 

Hobson's men said they lived on rice and sardines most of the time they 
were held as prisoners. Consul Ramsden, they said, brought them extra food 
at times, including meat, which cost seventy-five cents a pound. 

Admiral Cervera called on Hobson once, and his sailors on several occa- 
sions brought meat and other food to the Merrimac's crew. 

Cadet Powell, who was the last man to see Lieutenant Hobson before his 
start to sink the Merrimac, and who had charge of the launch during its per- 
ilous trip, told the story of his experience. He said : " Lieutenant Hobson 
took a short sleep for a few hours, which was often interrupted. At 1.45 he 
came on deck and made a final inspection, giving his last instructions. Then 
we had a little lunch. Hobson was as cool as a cucumber. About 2.30 
o'clock I took the men who were not going on the trip into the launch, and 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



10V 



started for the Texas, the nearest ship, but had to go back for one of the 
assistant engineers, whom Hobson was finally compelled to leave. 

(i I shook hands with Hobson the last of all. He said : ' Powell, watch 
the boat's crew when we pull out of the harbor. We will be cracks, rowing 
thirty strokes to the minute.' After leaving the Texas I saw the Merrimac 
steaming slowly in. It was only fairly dark then, and the shore was quite 
visible. We followed about three quarters of a mile astern. 

" The Merrimac stood about a mile to the westward of the harbor and 
seemed a bit mixed, turning completely around. Finally heading to the east ? 
she ran down and then turned in. We were then chasing her, because I 
thought Hobson had lost his bearings. When Hobson was about 200 yards 
from the harbor the first gun was fired from the east bluff. We were then half 
a mile off shore, close under the batteries. The firing increased rapidly. We 
steamed in slowly and lost sight of the Merrimac in the smoke which the wind 
carried off shore. It hung heavily. 

Hours of Anxious Watching. 

" Before Hobson could have blown up the Merrimac the western battery 
picked us up and commenced firing. They shot wild and we only heard the 
shots. We ran in still closer to the shore and the gunners lost sight of us 
Then we heard the explosion of the torpedoes on the Merrimac. Until day- 
light we waited just outside the breakers, half a mile to the westward of 
Morro, keeping a bright lookout for the boat or for swimmers, but saw 
nothing. Hobson had arranged to meet us at that point, but thinking that 
some one might have drifted out, we crossed in front of Morro and at the 
mouth of the harbor to the eastward. 

" About five o'clock we crossed the harbor again within a quarter of a mile 
and stood to the westward. In passing we saw one spar of the Merrimac 
sticking out of the water. We hugged the shore just outside the breakers for 
a mile and then turned towards the Texas, when the batteries saw us and 
opened fire. It was then broad daylight. The first shot fired dropped only 
thirty yards astern, but the other shots went wild. I drove the launch for all 
she was worth, finally making the New York. The men behaved splendidly." 

Commodore Schley paid this tribute to Hobson and his men History 
does not record an act of finer heroism than that of the gallant men who are 
prisoners over there. I watched the Merrimac as she made her way to the 
entrance of the harbor, and my heart sank as I saw the perfect hell of fire that 
fell upon those devoted men. I did not think it possible one of them could 
have gone through it alive. 

" They went into the jaws of death. It was Balaklava over again, without 



108 



HOBSONS DARING DEED. 



the means of defence which the Light Brigade had. Hobson led a forlorn 
hope without the power to cut his way out. But fortune once more favored 
the brave, and I hope he will have the recognition and promotion he deserves. 
His name will live as long as the heroes of the world are remembered." 

Admiral Sampson's Praise. 

Admiral Sampson's official report of the occurrence said it was the most 
daring deed since Cushing blew up the Albemarle. In the course of this 
report, the Admiral said : 

" United States Flagship New York, 

"Off Santiago, June 3, 1898. 

" Permit me to call your special attention to Assistant Naval Constructor 
Hobson. As stated in a special telegram, before coming here I decided to 
make the harbor entrance secure against the possibility of egress by Spanish 
ships by obstructing the narrow part of the entrance by sinking a collier at 
that point. Upon calling upon Mr. Hobson for his professional opinion as 
to a sure method of sinking the ship, he manifested the most lively interest 
in the problem. After several days' consideration he presented a solution 
which he considered would insure the immediate sinking of the ship when 
she reached the desired point in the channel. 

"This plan we prepared for execution when we reached Santiago. The 
plan contemplated a crew of only seven men, and Mr. Hobson begged that it 
might be entrusted to him. The anchor chains were arranged on deck for 
both the anchors, forward and aft, the plan including the anchoring of the 
ship almost automatically. 

" As soon as I reached Santiago and I had the collier to work upon, the 
details were completed, and diligently prosecuted, hoping to complete them 
in one day, as the moon and tide served best the first night after our arrival, 
Notwithstanding every effort, the hour of four o'clock in the morning arrived, 
and the preparation was scarcely completed. After a careful inspection of the 
final preparations I was forced to relinquish the plan for that morning, as 
dawn was breaking. Mr. Hobson begged to try it at all hazards. 

" This morning proved more propitious, as a prompt start could be made. 
Nothing could have been more gallantly executed. We waited impatiently 
after the firing by the Spanish had ceased. When they did not reappear from 
the harbor at six o'clock I feared that they had all perished. A steam launch 
which had been sent in charge of Naval Cadet Powell, to rescue the men, 
appeared at this time, coming out under a persistent fire of the batteries, but 
brought none of the crew. A careful inspection of the harbor from this ship 
showed that the vessel Merrimac had been sunk in the channel. 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



109 



" This afternoon the chief of staff of Admiral Cervera came out under a 
flag of truce with a letter from the Admiral, extolling the bravery of the crew 
in an unusual manner. 

Most Daring Deed since Cushing's. 

" I cannot, myself, too earnestly express my appreciation of the conduct 
of Mr. Hobson and his gallant crew. I venture to say that a more brave and 
daring thing has not been done since Cushing blew up the Albemarle. 

" Referring to the inspiring letter which you addressed to the officers at 
the beginning of the war, I am sure you will offer a suitable reward to Mr. 
Hobson and his companions. 

"I must add that Commander J. M. Miller relinquished his command 
with the very greatest reluctance, believing he should retain his command 
under all circumstances. He was, however, finally convinced that the attempt 
of another person to carry out the multitude of details which had been in 
preparation by Mr. Hobson might endanger their proper execution. 

President McKinley took prompt action. He sent a special communica- 
tion to Congress, in which he embodied Admiral Sampson's letter, eulogized 
Hobson and recommended promotion for the seven men who were with him 
on the Merrimac, and also for Naval Cadet Powell, who so gallantly com- 
manded the launch, designed to rescue the Merrimac party, when they had 
completed their task. Hobson was transferred from the Construction Corps 
to the line of the Navy ; Powell was made an Ensign and all of the men were 
given increased pay and higher rank. 

Mr. Hobson showed himself as ready for emergencies in peace as in war. 
Scarcely had he made his report to Admiral Sampson, when he turned his 
attention to the saving of some of the wrecked Spanish cruisers, although it 
was the opinion of most of his superior officers that none of them could be 
raised. He so won on the authorities, however, that he was sent north to con- 
sult with various wrecking companies and devise ways and means to raise the 
sunken cruisers. 

He was given an ovation in every northern city that he visited. Immense 
mobs of cheering men waited for him in New York and Boston and followed 
him about, compelling him to resort to strategy to escape. In the former city, 
he was prevailed upon to become chairman of a public meeting on August 4th, 
for the benefit of the families of soldiers and sailors. Never did the Metro- 




110 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



politan Opera House have such a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Never were so 
many people turned away for lack of room. Lieutenant Hobson's mother 
and sister occupied a box to the right of the stage, and when Mr. Hobson 
entered the people stood up and cheered him enthusiastically for over five 
minutes. 

Lieutenant Hobson spoke in a strong, clear, manly voice, that was dis- 
tinctly audible in every part of the house, and, except when he was interrupted 
by outbursts of applause, the audience sat in breathless silence. As he spoke 
the listeners seemed actually to see the stirring events which he described. 

Lieutenant Hobson's Speech. 

When Lieutenant Hobson arose after the introduction by the temporary 
chairman, there was a faint smile on his face. The audience rose with him, 
and cheered him again and again. When he could make himself heard the 
first words that fell from him were heard throughout every part of the big 
building, for his voice was deep, resonant and clear. He said : — 

" Won't you now give us 'Yankee Doodle ?' " 

The band struck up, but its first notes were drowned by the yells of 
delight that came from the audience. When the band had finished the air 
he continued : — 

" Ladies and gentlemen : — The deck has been turned over to me, but I 
take objection to likening this situation to the deck of a man-of-war. As you 
all know, a sailor abhors words. If you follow his routine from the time he 
turns out in the morning until taps at night, you will know that he hears and 
uses but a small number of words. He has but a simple pipe or whistle for 
most of his orders, or else he has but the blast of the bugle. Even for those 
who command, or who may communicate with others, who control the forces 
upon the vessel, or direct the engines, or its batteries, there is but a simple 
signal. 

" And now, when the deck is turned over to me, and I am called upon 
to use words and words in abundance, I feel that I am in an unknown sea. 
(Applause.) I must confess, however, that I knew that I should be in an 
unknown sea when I consented to appear here to-night. But sailors have 
gone into unknown seas when causes adequate have called them there. 
(Great applause and cries of 'You yourself, Hobson! You went into them!' 
and more cheers.) 

" If there were ever a cause which appeals to me more than all other 
causes it is the cause that is closest to us all — the needs of the soldier and 
sailor. I have been associated with the sailor, though for a brief number of 
years, yet long enough to know him. 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



Ill 



" My first experience — and it is the only thing I can talk about — are the 
little instances of his life. I was on a practice cruise shortly after entering 
the Naval Academy. One of the cadets ventured to swim out too far from 
the old Constellation — I think the ship was about three-quarters of a mile 
from the shore. I was on deck and saw my comrade about 500 yards away. 
There was a call for a boat, but before it was lowered a comrade went over- 
board to the rescue without a thought. Then another and another went, then 
more from the boom, others from the quarter-deck, and still others from the 
bridge. Then the officer in command had to give the order: — 'No more 
men jump overboard!' (Applause.) 

" I had seen the same kind of a thing in a heavy gale. A lifeboat had 
been called away while the same old Constellation was sailing or running 
before the wind with close reefed topsails, not waiting to bring to to the 
wind to make a lee, so as not to have the lifeboat too far away. The man 
overboard was a dear classmate of mine, who had dropped from the topsail 
yard, we thought lifeless. 

" As the boat was called away the sea was running high, and suddenly 
the whole crew were swept out of the boat into the sea. It was no longer 
one man in the sea, but seven men. Was it necessary to call away the other 
lifeboat ? No. No need to give the order to muster each man in his place. 
The boat was lowered without hesitation. This is my introduction to my first 
acquaintance with what we call ' Jackies ' — the sailor. 

" A number of years passed and every subsequent association confirmed 
these first impressions. If I have had occasion to see Jackie when he was 

seriously " here the speaker paused as if doubtful of how he ought to 

express himself upon what all knew about his own part on the Merrimac. 
Then he braced himself and continued: — 

Jackie Played His Part Well. 

" I feel that certain features of the incident, in whicn Jackie played his 
part well, should be referred to. It is known that when the call was made 
for volunteers to go on the Merrimac " — (the name evoked a storm of 
applause)—" that literally the men fell over each other to volunteer. (Ap- 
plause.) On the New York there were 100, on the Iowa 140, before the 
order was passed that no more volunteers were needed. (Applause.) 

" When the few out of this number had been assigned to stations on the 
Merrimac, the directions were for those who had certain duties to lie flat on 
their faces, to others to stand by the anchor gear, and others by the torpedoes, 
and there were two in the engine room. The directions were that no man 
should pay any attention to the fire of the enemy. 



112 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



" It was agreed and understood by all that no one should look over his 
shoulder to see where the projectiles came from — that no attention was to be 
paid to them. It was understood that if wounded no attention should be 
paid to it; that the man should place himself in a sitting, kneeling — in any 
posture, so that when the signal came he would be able to perform his 
special duty. 

" And, friends, they lay there, each man at his post, until the duty of 
each was performed. Out of seven torpedoes we had, five with their con- 
nections had been shot away. When the steering gear had been shot away, 
the projectiles were coming in one continuous stream, but the men quietly 
lay there doing their duty as they had been instructed. (Cheers.) 

" Then again, when the duty was done, and the group had assembled at 
the rendezvous on the quarterdeck, and when an explosion came from under 
the starboard quarter and we began to sink, and the anchor had been carried 
away, and we were settling slowly, because only two torpedoes had remained 
intact; when for ten minutes or more the group lay on their faces, and actu- 
ally the fire of the enemy made the deck tremble, and the plunging fire from 
the batteries was making shells explode in front of them; when it was a ques- 
tion whether the fragment of a shell would end the lives of all — (applause, 
suppressed) — then the simple order was given, ' No man move till further 
orders.' 

Not a Man Quailed. 

" If there ever was a condition when the principle of 1 each man for him- 
self,' or sauve qui peu t or jump overboard, was justified, it was at that moment. 
But not a man quailed.'' 

The audience could not contain itself — it rose and cheered wildly again 
and again. Voices all over the house shouted " Three cheers for the Jackie!" 

"A few moments later/' continued the young orator, for such his de- 
livery showed him to be, " when the same group was in the water clinging to 
the catamaran, and the enemy's boats came peering about with their lanterns 
to find something of what they thought was left, then again the impulse to get 
away was strong and justifiable. 

" Then again the simple order was given, ' No man move till further 
orders ! ' 

" And then for nearly an hour these men stood, even' one of them self- 
contained. (Cheers.) 

" When that afternoon — the same afternoon of the sinking — by the kind- 
ness of the gallant commander of the Spanish forces — Admiral Cervera — 
(great applause) — the effects of the sailors were brought from their ships under 
a flag of truce, the chief of staff allowed one of the men to come over to myself, 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



113 



and this man, who was the spokesman of the others, said, ' They would do it 
over again to-night, sir ! ' (Tremendous cheering.) 

" The next day, when there was a reminder of the inquisition to get informa- 
tion from the prisoners, when it seemed to be uncertain what the enemy would 
do, when it was unknown whether he had sunk a battle ship with five hundred 
or six hundred men, an impertinent question was put to the prisoners by an 
officer. One of the men, Chareth, spoke French. The Spanish soldiers made 
a significant sign (the speaker indicated the levelling of a musket), but our 
seamen laughed. (Applause.) When the question was asked, ' What was the 
object of your coming in here ? ' Charette, drawing himself up, said : — 

" ' In the United States Navy it is not the custom for a seaman to know, 
or to ask to know, the object of his superior officer!' (Tremendous applause.) 

Ready for Any Service. 

" Now, friends, if you will draw the proper deductions and regard these 
men as single types of the whole fleet; if you will properly look upon these 
little incidents as the condition in the fleet, where the personnel was ready, 
and is ready, to do anything, then I will not have spoken in vain and you will 
have a complete idea of the sailor. (Great applause.) 

" My experience with the soldier has been limited. Recently I saw him 
under conditions that conveyed to me a proper estimate of the American 
soldier. From my prison at Santiago I saw the whole advance of our troops. 
I was but a few hundred yards behind the Spanish intrenchments. 

" On July 1st and 2nd, when the battle opened, I watched with breathless 
interest. Our infantry advanced and practically drove the Spaniard into his 
trenches. The American troops did not stop. They went into the very 
trenches of the enemy. I saw the unsupported infantry go on. I saw the 
first assault. I said, ' Surely now the artillery will take it up.' But instead 
it was the enemy's artillery which opened fire, and then my heart sank. 

" The first belch of his guns caused our fire to slacken and our men to 
fall. Then it was that the individuality of the American soldier came into 
play. He had never been under fire — each man believed the next shrapnel 
would take him away. Then I noticed that our fire became more rapid and 
the trenches were won. (Applause.) One lad was following another. I 
counted six assaults before the trenches were won, in spite of the lack of 
artillery. We had taken them by our intrepid infantry. (Cheers.) And now, 
friends, I have nothing further to say." 

But yet he spoke for twenty minutes longer. He told of the interest 
with which he scanned the features of the soldiers when being exchanged and 
noticed that they were men who had left responsible duties to fight for their 
8 



114 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



country. Of those who remained in camp the only fear among them was that 
their regiment or company would not be sent to the front. (Applause.) Only 
a handful of citizens, comparatively, had beeen called out. The whole nation 
would be ready when the question of honor and liberty was involved. (Ap- 
plause.) He grew more eloquent in picturing the glorious future of the nation. 

" I can only say," he concluded, " that I thank Heaven it has been vouch- 
safed to me to devote my exertions to the service of my country." 

Once more he got an ovation, and cheer upon cheer shook the building. 

At Long Beach, a pretty summer resort on Long Island, the cottagers 
presented him with a handsome sword, and his speech in accepting it dis- 
played the same qualities of unaffected simplicity and modesty. 

" It is with the profoundest emotion," he said, " that I receive and accept 
this beautiful token, so spontaneously offered by this generous group. I can- 
not adequately express my appreciation and my thanks. I have only to say 
that as long as my career shall continue, this emblem shall be dearly cher- 
ished and I shall ever recall this occasion, this spot on the Atlantic, and when, 
perhaps, I am far away occasion may arise to use this sword, I cannot but 
feel, that the thought of this occasion will inspire its use in honor of my 
country. 

" I have to beg of you that you will recall this simple and absolute fact 
— that the little incident at the front simply indicates the status and condi- 
tions of your sailors at the front. (Tremendous cheers.) Let me add that at 
that time, and I believe forever hereafter, they were and will be found willing 
to perform whatever duty may appear and at whatever cost." 

Lieutenant Hobson closed abruptly, and at the conclusion he held a re- 
ception in the parlors. The first to greet him were the children. An hour 
afterward the Lieutenant was writing autographs for those present. 

Lieutenant Hobson Kissed. 

While the reception was in progress one of the handsomest young women 
in the hotel, Miss Emma Arnold, of St. Louis, approached the Lieutenant and 
took his hand. 

" May I kiss you ? " she asked, blushingly. 

The Lieutenant blushed, too, but he retained his composure and gal- 
lantly replied, " I would be very proud to comply," and he did. 

" Of course, I kissed him on the spur of the moment," said Miss Arnold, 
explaining to a reporter at the Long Beach Hotel about the famous kiss. 
" You don't suppose I had planned it a long time beforehand, do you ? 

" I am a patriot. It just made my blood tingle when I read about Hob- 
son taking the Merrimac and sinking her so cooly under that fearful storm of 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



115 



fire. To me that seemed the greatest feat of bravery in the whole war. It 
made me proud to think that I was an American. I had thought a great deai 
about the heroism of the men who sank the Merrimac so the Spanish could 
not sneak away. So you see it was Hobson's deed I kissed and not Hobson. 
Mr. Hobson was merely the embodiment of his courage — the intermediary. 
You understand now, don't you ; I made it perfectly clear ? " 

As a consequence of this incident, Miss Arnold became the most widely 
discussed young woman in the newspapers for a fortnight or more. She 
returned to her home to find herself a heroine. 

Assistant Engineer R. K. Crank, who was chief engineer on the collier 
Merrimac, and as such assisted in putting the vessel in condition to perform 
the valuable service for which she was selected, in a letter to an officer on duty 
in the Navy Department, at Washington, gives some interesting details. He 
says : 

Hobson's Cool Announcement. 

" On Wednesday, June I, while the officers of the Merrimac were sitting 
at lunch, Assistant Naval Constructor R. P. Hobson came aboard from the 
flagship with the startling announcement that the Admiral had decided to run 
the Merrimac into the entrance of the channel leading to the harbor of San- 
tiago and sink her there. Mr. Hobson roughly outlined his plans, and prep- 
arations were immediately begun for putting them into execution. 

" The four transverse bulkheads of the ship were located approximately 
and their positions marked on the port side of the ship at the rail. The 
length of the Merrimac is about 344 feet ; her breadth of beam about 44 feet, 
as nearly as can be outlined. A line was run along the port side of the ship, 
parallel to the waterline. This line was supported by ' hogging lines ' that 
were run over the rail outside. 

" Along this line were to be suspended in eight inch copper cases ten 
charges of ordinary brown prismatic powder, each charge weighing about 
eighty pounds; over this an ordinary igniting charge of brown powder was 
placed and the whole covered with pitch for protection against the water, with 
a primer and wire for exploding the charge. 

" The ship at this time contained about 2,000 tons of coal. As far as 
possible all stores were removed. About dark the powder charges were 
brought on board and lowered into position over the port side. 

" The wire for exploding the charges was run and connected and the dry 
battery made ready. The first plan contemplated the simultaneous explosion 
of all ten charges. It was found that the battery on hand was sufficient to 
explode with certainty only six of the charges ; so only six were connected. 
Meanwhile one of the ship's anchors had been taken aft to the starboard quar- 



116 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



ter and lashed over the rail, ready for dropping as soon as the lashings were 
cut. 

" The chain of this anchor had been held aft forty-five fathoms, led along 
the deck clear for running, and the chain stopped at the after starboard bitts. 
The starboard bow anchor and chain were also made ready in a similar 
manner for letting go. The cargo ports (of which there are two on each side, 
one forward and one aft) were opened. The ship was drawing about sixteen 
feet of water aft, and there was about three feet freeboard from the water to 
the lower edge of the cargo ports. 

" Below, in the engine room j the nuts holding the bonnets of the main 
injection valve and the sea-suction valve of the big fire pump were slacked 
off, ready for instant removal, and wooden props were wedged into the top of 
the bonnets, so that after the nuts should be taken off one blow with a sledge 
would knock out the prop and allow the bonnet to fly off, admitting the sea. 

" Arrangements were also made for cutting two smaller pipes leading 
from the sea to the pumps and donkey boiler. All water-tight doors were 
opened, and, where it was possible, plates were taken off from the ath wart- 
ship bulkheads to give the water free access to all parts of the ship. 

"All these preparations were made with the greatest haste, as it was 
desired to send the ship in before daybreak of the morning of the 2d. One 
of the ship's lifeboats was to be towed from a line amidships on the starboard 
side. All cans containing sto'res were knocked open. 

Each Man Had a Post. 

" The officers and crew, with the exception of Captain Miller, Assistant 
Engineer Crank, Machinist Phillips, Ordinary Seaman Diegnan and Acting 
Water Tender Kelly, were sent to the flagship New York. Mr. Hobson, of 
course, was to remain aboard to take the ship in. In addition, Coxswain 
Murphy, Gunner's Mate Charette and Coxswain Montague came aboard in 
the afternoon fromJ:he New York to form part of the crew to take the ship 
in. The preparations were not completed until nearly daylight. Diegnan 
was stationed at the wheel. 

" Boatswain Murphy stood by with an axe to cut the lashings of the 
starboard quarter anchor ; Charette was to explode the charges on signal. 
Two signals only were to be sent to the engine room. At the first of these 
Phillips was to knock out the props from over the bonnets of the sea valves. 
Kelly was to cut the small sea pipes before mentioned. Then Kelly was to 
run on deck to haul in the lifeboat. At the second signal Phillips was to 
stop the engines, then run on deck and jump over the starboard side. 

" Mr. Hobson wished to creep in and approach the entrance from the 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



117 



westward, until he could shape his course, as nearly as possible, directly for 
Estrella Point. He wished to put the bow of the ship near this point, and 
then swing her across the channel abreast of this point. 

" When the ship was near enough, in his judgment, the bonnets were to 
be knocked off the sea valves and the engines stopped. The helm was to be 
put hard to port, and the starboard bow anchor let go. This would swing 
the ship across the channel and check her headway. When she had swung 
far enough, the quarter anchor was to be let go to check her, and the mines 
exploded. The strong flood tide was relied on to heel the ship to port and 
assist in sinking her. The powder charges were about thirty-five feet apart 
and ten feet below the water line. 

" The Admiral was aboard until nearly daylight. The signals to the 
men at the anchors were to be given by means of a rope attached to their 
wrists and leading to the bridge. It was the intention for Mr. Hobson to 
remain on the bridge until he felt the ship settle. The other men, as soon 
as each had done the duty assigned to him, were to jump over the side and 
make for the boat. 

" Mr. Hobson expected that a mine would be exploded under the ship 
by the enemy, thus materially aiding his plans for sinking the ship." 

Completing the Preparations. 

Daylight breaking before all the plans were perfected, the ship was not 
allowed to go in. Mr. Crank continues : 

" Some slight changes in the original plans were made during the day. 
Additional batteries were obtained, and an additional charge was made ready 
on the port side. As the lifeboat had gotten adrift on the first attempt, the 
large catamaran of the ship was slung over the starboard side by a single 
line, with towing and steadying lines. The lifeboat was slung in a similar 
manner, just abaft the catamaran. The boats on the port side were cast loose, 
so that they would float when the ship sank. 

" Mr. Hobson decided, also, that it would be safer to explode each pow- 
der charge separately, and the men in the engine room were directed to come 
on deck as soon as they had completed their duties below, and lend a hand 
in exploding the four after charges. 

" About half-past one Mr. Hobson came on the bridge. All the men 
who were to go in with the ship — Montague, Charette, Phillips, Diegnan, 
Murphy and Kelly — were called up and given final instructions as to their 
duties. Everything was made ready below. The ship was steaming in 
towards the entrance at ' dead slow,' so as to enable the launch to go over 
to the Texas, and then catch her. This was about half-past two a. m. 



118 



HOBSONS DARING DEED. 



" The big black hull of the Merrimac could be easily followed from the 
other ships. At a quarter past three the first shot was fired, coming from 
one of the guns on the hill to the left (west) of the entrance. The shot was 
seen to splash seaward from the Merrimac, having passed over her. 

" The firing became general very soon after, being especially fierce and 
rapid from the batteries inside, on the left of the harbor, probably from the 
batteries on Smith Cay. The flashes and reports were apparently those of 
rapid-fire guns, ranging from small automatic guns to 4-inch or larger. For 
fifteen minutes a perfect fusillade was kept up. Then the fire slackened and by 
half-past three had almost ceased. 

" A close watch was kept on the mouth of the harbor in order to pick up 
the steam launch. There was a little desultory firing until about a quarter to 
four, when all became quiet. At about a quarter past five the launch was seen, 
steaming from west to east near or across the mouth of the harbor. She 
steamed back from east to west, and then began skirting the coast to the west 
of the entrance. The battery on the hill to the left opened fire on her, but 
did not make good practice. The launch continued her course as far west- 
ward as a small cove, and then headed for the Texas. Mr. Powell reported 
that ' No one had come out of the entrance of the harbor.' 

Almost Ran Aground. 

" Cadet Powell said that' Hobson missed the entrance of the harbor at 
first, having gone too far to the westward ; he almost ran aground. The 
launch picked up the entrance and directed the Merrimac in. From the 
launch the collier was seen until she rounded the bend of the channel and 
until the helm had been put to port to swing her into position across the 
channel. 

''Apparently the inner batteries opened fire just as the collier rounded 
the bend and was swinging into position — probably when she was first seen 
by the men at the batteries on Smith Cay. It was from this side that the 
heaviest fire came. A large number of projectiles whistled over the launch. 
The batteries on Estrella Point kept up a very hot fire. 

" Powell heard or saw and counted seven explosions, which were un- 
doubtedly those of the powder charges under the collier. Powell remained in 
the entrance as long as he deemed it safe to do so. No wreckage or bodies 
floated out, everything being swept inside by the strong flood tide. The en- 
emy evidently had a large number of automatic and rapid-fire guns, from the 
number and rapidity of the shots. 

"There was probably nc one in the fleet who did not think that all 
seven of the men had perished. In the afternoon, much to the surprise of 



HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 



119 



every one, a tug, flying a flag of truce, was seen coming out of the en- 
trance. The Vixen, flying a tablecloth at the fore, went to meet the tug. A 
Spanish officer went aboard the Vixen from the tug and was taken aboard 
the flagship. 

Were Mourned as Dead. 

" Not long afterward a signal was made that Murphy, of the Iowa, was 
saved and was a prisoner of war. About four o'clock another signal was made 
from the flagship, ' Collier's crew prisoners of war. Two slightly wounded. 
All well.' 

" It can be easily imagined what relief this signal brought to all hands, 
who had been mourning the death of all these men. The Spanish officer 
said also that the prisoners were confined in Morro Castle. He said, further, 
that Admiral Cervera considered the attempt to run in and sink the Merrimac 
across the channel as an act of such great bravery and desperate daring that 
he (the Admiral) thought it only proper that our Admiral should be notified 
of the safety of these men. 

" Whatever the motive for sending out the tug with the flag of truce, the 
act was a most graceful one, and one of most chivalrous courtesy. The 
Spanish officer is reported to have said: — 'You have made it more difficult, 
but we can still get out' " 



CHAPTER VII. 



Admiral Cervera Tells of the Great Naval Battle Near 

Santiago. 

N Sunday morning, July 3rd, our watching ships lay rolling in 
the easy surges off the entrance of the harbor of Santiago. 
Their distances from the guarded haven varied from four to 
six thousand yards, and there, with an unsparing alertness, they 
waited for that promised dash, which all hoped for, but feared might never 
come. However, they were now to wait no longer. 

A little after three bells in the forenoon watch the inspection of the ship 
Iowa had been concluded, and as Lieutenant Van Duzer, the officer of the 
watch, was relieving the navigating officer, Lieutenant Scheutze, then officer 
of the deck, he heard a quick cry to call the captain, followed by a shout, 
"There come the Spaniards out of the harbor.'' 

The trained eye of the alert officer had marked the thin trail of drifting 
smoke, and before the signals, " Clear Ship for Action," had been given, the 
bows of the Spanish vessels, rushing in "line ahead," were seen darting 
around Socapa Point for the open sea. 

In a moment all was bustle and trained energy. Men rushed to their 
quarters, guns were trained, and in less than twenty seconds the whistling 
shriek of a rapid-fire gun warned the startled fleet of the hot work awaiting. 
In two minutes every gun on shipboard was cast loose, manned, loaded and 
ready for the long-expected signal to fire. 

At the yardarm of the Iowa a string of signal flags warned the fleet the 
enemy was trying to escape, but even before the answering pennants of the 
other ships announced their understanding of the message every vessel was 
dashing to the stations long before allotted for the emergency which had 
come at last. 

It was a splendid spectacle. The Spaniards with bottled steam cleared 
the harbor's mouth seemingly in a moment. Under their eager prows a 
column of foam whitened the long billows and their bubbling wakes left a 
furrow as straight and sharp as a racing yacht making a winning run for the 
finish line. 

Their course was shaped for the westward, but as fast as they sped in 
their desperate break for freedom, faster flew the shells of the pursuing 
Americans. The first heavy shell from the Iowa's battery fell short, and then, 
120 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 121 



by an unlucky mischance, so did the second, but afterward the rain of shot 
fell surely and unsparingly upon the fleeing foe. 

Not a whit behind in this eager fusillade roared the batteries of the 
Spanish ships. Their port broadsides flamed and grumbled, but it was more 
a splendid display of fireworks than a successful effort to damage the un- 
harmed targets of the Yankee ships. In fifteen minntes after they were dis- 
covered the four Spanish armored cruisers had cleared the wide entrance, and 
five minutes later the torpedo boat destroyers, hugging the beach and seeking 
the sheltering broadside of 
their sister ships, flew into 
the turmoil of the action. 

At this time every gun 
of the American squadron 
that could be brought to 
bear was pumping projec- 
tiles into the enemy. In an 
instant it almost seemed one 
ship of the Vizcaya class 
burst into flames, caused, 
undoubtedly, by a long, sure 
shot from the Oregon or the 
Texas. 

A minute later a 12- 
inch projectile sent from her 
forward turret struck the 
flag- ship Maria Teresa near 
her after smoke pipe. A 
tremendous explosion fol- 
lowed. Then she was all 
shrouded in smoke and was 
lighted with lurid flames ; and then when the powder cloud blew down the 
wind she was seen helm hard a-port rushing for the beach. 

Twenty-five minutes after the first ship had been sighted half the Spanish 
fleet had surrendered or was on fire. As our vessels rushed toward them 
every ship was hulled time and again, and it almost seemed, in the sureness 
and directness of our batteries, as if it were the target practice of a summer 
morning, and not the annihilation of a squadron. Even this interval would 
have been shortened measurably, for aiding them and hindering us was the 
cloud of smoke which concealed and at the best only half revealed the 
wrecked enemy. 




ADMIRAL CERVERA. 



122 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



It was a grand, sad sight, a pathetic one to seamen, who know how much 
patient thought and patriotic effort had gone into the construction of these 
splendid vessels, now lying bruised and burning, on the shores they had 
hoped to defend. There was no time, however, to indulge in emotions of 
sympathy or of pity, for still rushing eagerly westward, closely followed by 
the New York, and at a further distance by the Indiana, came the torpedo 
destroyers. In the hot eagerness of destruction we turned loose our smaller 
guns on these loudly heralded and ineffective craft, and finally by a lucky hit 
dropped a 12 -inch shell into the bow of the leading destroyer. At the same 
instant the little Hist was rapidly closing upon them, pouring a sickening fire 
into their fragile hulls. 

Destroyers Quickly Vanquished. 

The Gloucester joined in this splendid assault, and so sure and effective 
was their rain of rapid-fire projectiles that both torpedo boats swung their 
helms hard a-port, ran for the shore and buried what was left of them among 
the pitiless rocks of the coast. By a quarter past ten we were in full cry after 
the other Spanish ships, then about four miles ahead and busy with hot replies 
to the determined assault of the Oregon, Texas and Brooklyn. 

Bending every energy to overtake the Colon, which was then five miles 
away and perhaps two miles ahead in a direct line and a mile and a half 
further in shore, we picked Up the flying Vizcaya. The game must have 
seemed up to her then, for with a quick turn to starboard she ran shoreward, 
and we saw in an instant that she was flaming fore and aft. A beautiful 
Spanish flag floating from her gaff and another higher still, from her main top- 
mast head, showed her to be the flagship of the second in command. She 
lagged heavily in the water ; no longer did she carry the bone in her teeth, 
and her foaming wake was gone. 

When we drew near we saw something had gone amiss with her, for just 
as we swung with a touch of our helm to give her a finishing broadside, the 
beautiful flags drifted from truck and gaff end and the white flag of surrender 
went up, and the cheers of our ships went with it. We stopped our engines 
when close aboard and hoisted out our boats to save her people. We received 
on board 250 of her crew, the Hist took another hundred, and that was all that 
was left of them, for the other hapless sailors were lying dead and wounded 
on her burning decks. 

The conflagration aboard this ship was astounding, and even now, when 
the opportunity for calm reflection has come, it is impossible to explain where 
so much inflammable material could have been collected on board an armored • 
vessel. Through the air ports and gun ports of the doomed ship quivering 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 123 



fires shone with a blood-red light upon the light woodwork of the bridge and 
upper deck, and long tongues of flame licked the towering masts. 

Over the ship a cloud of rosy light hovered, and when, after a time, the 
explosions of the free powder were added, great volumes of smoke shut out 
the sky. Several explosions of terrific force followed, but notwithstanding 
this, and while the flames were still quivering through every outlet and encir- 
cling the hull, our boats were busy with the rescue of the unfortunate 
wounded and those more lucky survivors who had sought the water or the 
shore as their only refuge from a dreadful death. 

Let Eulate Keep His Sword. 

When the Spanish Captain of the Vizcaya, that courteous Eulate, of 
whom we heard so much when his ship was in the harbor of New York, was 
lifted over the side and half carried aft, he presented his sword to Captain 
Evans ; but Evans, gentle as he is brave, declined to receive it, and, waving 
it back with a friendly gesture, he grasped the hand of the Spaniard and 
welcomed his brother officer to the hospitality of the ship. 

Much affected by his reception, Captain Eulate asked permission to meet 
the Iowa's officers, and to each he gave a warm grip of his hand and a friendly 
word of gratitude before he was carried below. The Oregon and Brooklyn 
joined in the attack, but were a little too far out to get into the best of it, and 
their efforts were directed more to head off and catch the Colon than to join 
in the general action. There was a wisdom in this, approved of all good 
sailors, for they knew what work was cut out for them, and in what good 
hands the other ships were left. 

The glorious Texas, no longer the " hoodoo " of the fleet, gave its prin- 
cipal attention to the Vizcaya, and one of her 1 2-inch shells, smashing through 
the fire-room of the Spaniard, caused her to make that quick turn to the 
shore, which at first we did not understand. The New York was so far to 
the eastward that she had a long chase, and a stern chase, before she got into 
the action, and she passed us just after the Vizcaya surrendered. She made 
a splendid marine picture as she rushed eagerly by in a hot chase after the 
Colon, and as she shot past we gave Sampson cheer after cheer, and cheer 
after cheer came back to us from as gallant a crew as ever served a gun or fed 
a roaring furnace. 

Some of the crew swam to the beach, but finding the hostile shores com- 
manded by alert parties of Cuban soldiers, they fought in a mad endeavor to 
get on board the ship's boats rather than surrender to an enemy whom they 
knew to be pitiless. Every officer and man on the Iowa gave clothes of some 
sort to the rescued sailors, and their reception must have taught them that 



124 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



the much despised Yankee was not the inhuman brute their officers had 
pictured them. 

The paymaster's stores of the ship were drawn on lavishly to clothe the 
Spanish officers and men, and when after a while they were dried and fed it 
was interesting to note the relief all seemed to feel now that their long sus- 
pense of so many weary weeks was over and done. 

At one time the Iowa was engaged with all the ships single-handed. 
The Spanish officers said later that their orders were to concentrate their fire 
on her, and every effort must be made to disable her, as she was the most 
dangerous antagonist of all awaiting them. But, as one of the Spanish 
officers added, with a fine air of perplexity : " We found that all the ships 
were equally dangerous, and that, after all was said and done, it was four 
ships against four, and one of these, the Brooklyn, was much more lightly 
armored and gunned than any of ours." 

Reckoning up the data of this memorable fight, we find that: In less 
than twenty-five minutes two of their ships were wrecked. In less than 
three-quarters of an hour the third surrendered. In fifty-six minutes 
from the time the first dashing Spaniard was sighted all hands were piped 
down, the guns were secured and our boats were in the water to save 
what was left of the Vizcaya's crew. 

Reception of Admiral Oervera. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon of that memorable Sunday the Iowa ar- 
rived off the entrance to Santiago, the Gloucester keeping company with her, 
after speaking the Indiana and exchanging cheers that made the welkin 
ring. When alongside the Indiana, Captain Evans hailed his brother-in-law, 
Captain Taylor, of that ship, and told him to send Admiral Cervera on board 
and he would put at his disposal the vacant Admiral's cabin of our ship. 

The gallant but defeated sailor came alongside in the Gloucester's boat 
and was received with all the honors due his rank and station. The full 
marine guard was paraded, the bugles flourished a salute, and when the 
official side was finished the reception accorded him by the captured officers 
of the Vizcaya showed the affectionate regard with which this fearless gen- 
tleman was held by those who served under him. 

Captain Eulate wore the sword Captain Evans had refused to accept, 
and he pointed to it with a pathetic pride as he told of the reception accorded 
him by the Iowa's captain. It was an affecting and a heart-warming sight, 
and made a fitting close to a day that will be memorable for the glories it 
yielded to our arms at sea. 

Concerning the battle, Admiral Schley wrote to a friend in St. Louis ; 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



125 



" Many thanks for your kind letter and the things you say. I only wish 
I could feel that I deserve all you say, but I do not deserve more credit for 
the victory of July 3rd than any and all of my brave comrades. It was a 
glorious day for our country, and a grand achievement for our navy. I am 
glad to have had a chance to help to such a grand result, and if it shall re- 
sult in peace the battle may be regarded as among the epoch-making battles 
in history." 

An eye-witness of the fight who was on the battleship Texas describes 
it as follows : 

"At 9.30 o'clock this morning, while the battleship Texas was lying 
directly in front of Santiago harbor, Lieutenant M. L. Bristol saw smoke 
arising between Morro Castle and La Socapa. An instant later the nose of 
a ship poked out behind the Estrella Battery. Clash went the electric gongs 
calling the ship's company to general quarters. Full speed ahead plunged 
the Texas toward the enemy, and up fluttered the vari-colored flags signal- 
ling: ' The enemy is trying to escape!' 

Bold Dash of the Spanish Ships. 

u The Brooklyn, Iowa and Oregon responded immediately. All headed 
toward the harbor entrance, being then about two and a half miles away. 
There was much suppressed excitement aboard all the vessels as they sped 
in the direction of the enemy. The first of the Spanish squadron to come into 
view was a cruiser of the Vizcaya class, the Almirante Oquendo. Closely 
following her came the Cristobal Colon, which was easily distinguishable by 
the military masts between her two smokestacks. Then came the other two 
cruisers, Vizcaya and Infanta Maria Teresa, making desperate efforts to escape 
our bulldog fleet and get into the open sea. 

" Almost before the leading ship was clear of the shadow of Morro Castle 
the fight had begun. Admiral Cervera started it by a shell from the Almi- 
rante Oquendo, to which he had transferred his flag. It struck none of the 
American vessels. In a twinkling the big guns of the Texas belched forth 
their thunder, which was followed immediately by a heavy fire from our other 
ships. The Spaniards turned to the westward under full steam, pouring a 
constant fire on our ships, and evidently hoping to get away by their superior 
speed. The Brooklyn turned her course parallel with that of the Spaniards, 
and, after getting in good range, began a running fight. 

"The Texas, still heading in shore, kept up a hot exchange of shots with 
the foremost ships, which gradually drew away to the westward under the 
shadow of the hills. The third of the Spanish vessels, the Vizcaya or 
Infanta Maria Teresa, was caught by the Texas in good fighting range, and 



126 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



it was she that engaged the attention of the first battleship commissioned in 
the American navy — the old hoodoo, but now the old hero. 

" The Texas steamed west with her adversary, and as she could not 
catch her with speed, she did with her shells. Captain John W. Philip 
directed operations from the bridge until the fire got so hot that he ordered 
the ship to be run from the conning tower, and the bridge contingent moved 
down to the passage surrounding the tower. This was a Providential move, 
for a moment later a shell from one of the Spanish cruisers tore through the 
pilot house. It would have killed the wheelman and perhaps everybody on 
the bridge had they remained there. 

u Captain Philip directed every move throughout the heat of the fight. 
For half an hour the shells whistled all about the ship, but only one other 
struck it. This tore a hole through the ash hoist amidships, and exploded 
inside her smokestack. No one was injured. 

" The din of the guns was so terrific that orders had to be yelled close 
to the messengers' ears, and at times the smoke was so thick that absolutely 
nothing could be seen. Once or twice the twelve-inch guns in the turrets 
were swung across the ship and fired. The concussion shook the great vessel 
as though she had been struck by a great ball, and everything moveable was 
splintered. The men near the guns were thrown flat on their faces. One of 
them, a seaman named Scarm, was tumbled down a hatch into the forward 
handling-room. His leg was broken. Other casualties occurred, but none 
of them were serious. 

Oregon and Iowa Join In. 

" Meanwhile the Oregon had come in on the run. She passed the Texas 
and chased after Commodore Schley, on the Brooklyn, to head off the fore- 
most of the Spanish ships. The Iowa also turned her course westward, and 
kept up a hot fire on the running enemy. 

" At io. 10 o'clock the third of the Spanish ships, the one that had been 
exchanging compliments with the Texas, was seen to be on fire, and a mighty 
cheer went up from our ships. The Spaniard headed for the shore, and the 
Texas turned her attention to the one following. The Brooklyn and Oregon, 
after a few parting shots, also left her contemptuously, and made all steam 
and shell after the foremost two of the Spanish ships, the Almirante Oquendo 
and the Cristobal Colon. 

" Just then the two torpedo-boat destroyers, Pluton and Furor, were dis- 
covered. They had come out after the cruisers without being seen, and were 
boldly heading west down the coast. ' All small guns on the torpedo boats! ' 
was the order on the Texas, and in an instant a hail of shot was pouring all 



127 



128 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



about them. A six-pounder from the starboard battery of the Texas, under 
Ensign Gise, struck the foremost torpedo boat fairly in the boiler. 

" A rending sound was heard above the roar of battle. A great spout 
of black smoke shot up from that destroyer, and she was out of commission. 
The Iowa, which was coming up fast, threw a few complimentary shots at the 
second torpedo-boat destroyer, and passed on. The little Gloucester, for- 
merly J. Pierpont Morgan's yacht Corsair, then sailed in and finished the 
second boat. 

" Gun for gun and shot for shot the running fight was kept up between 
the Spanish cruisers and the four American vessels. At 10:30 o'clock the 
Infanta Maria Teresa and Vizcaya were almost on the beach, and were 
evidently in distress. As the Texas was firing at them, a white flag was run 
up on the one nearest her. 

" ' Cease firing ! ' called Captain Philip, and a moment later both the 
Spaniards were beached. Clouds of black smoke arose from each, and bright 
flashes of flame could be seen shining through the smoke. Boats were visible 
putting out from the cruiser to the shore. The Iowa waited to see that the 
two warships were really out of the fight, and it did not take her long to 
determine that they would never fight again. The Iowa herself had suffered 
some very hard knocks. 

A Race for Dear Life. 

" The Brooklyn, Oregon and Texas pushed ahead after the Colon and 
Almirante Oquendo, which were now running the race of their lives along the 
coast. At 10:50 o'clock, when Admiral Cervera's flagship, the Almirante 
Oquendo, suddenly headed in shore, she had the Brooklyn and Oregon abeam 
and the Texas astern. The Brooklyn and Oregon pushed on after the Cris- 
tobal Colon, which was making fine time, and which looked as if she might 
escape, leaving the Texas to finish the Almirante Oquendo. This work did 
not take long. The Spanish ship was already burning. At 11:05 o'clock 
down came a yellow and red flag at her stern. Just as the Texas got abeam 
of her she was shaken by a mighty explosion. 

" The crew of the Texas started to cheer. ' Don't cheer, because the 
poor devils are dying ! ' called Captain Philip, and the Texas left the Almi- 
rante Oquendo to her fate to join in the chase of the Cristobal Colon. 

" That ship, in desperation, was ploughing the waters at a rate that 
caused the fast Brooklyn trouble. The Oregon made great speed for a bat- 
tleship, and the Texas made the effort of her life. Never since her trial trip 
had she made such time. The Brooklyn might have proved a match to the 
Cristobal Colon in speed, but was not supposed to be her match in strength. 



CAPTAIN FRANCIS A. COOK OF THE FLAGSHIP BROOKLYN 



CAPTAIN CHARLES E. CLARKE 

COMMANDER OF THE BATTLESHIP OREGON 



COMMODORE JOHN W. PHILIP 

COMMANDER OF THE BATTLESHIP TEXAS 




CAPTAIN F. J. HIGGINSON CAPTAIN B. H. McCALLA 

COMMANDER OF BATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS COMMANDER OF THE MARBLEHEAD 



.- * - * - 



ADMIRAL CERVERA 

Commander of the Spanish Fleet at Santiago 




HOLE MADE BY A SPANISH SHOT IN THE ARMOR PLATE 
OF THE BATTLESHIP TEXAS 




A YANKEE SAILOR AND A YANKEE GUN 



SHIPS OF Tli 

1. MARIA DE MOLINA 2. GALICIA 3. DESTRUCTOR 4. ALFONSO XIII 5. 
9. FILIPINAS 10. FUROR 11. EMPEROR CARLOS V. 12. YA N E2 PI NZON 1 

17. ISLE DE CUBA 




ANISH NAVY 

YO 6. ALFONSO XII 7 REINA MERCEDES 8. DON JUAN DE AUSTRIA 
OR1A 14. LEPANTO 1b. CARDINAL CiSNEROS 16 CRISTOBAL COLON 
MARIA TERESA 




CAPTAIN CHARLES D. SIGSBEE 
Commander of the Battleship Maine 




THE FALL OF SANTIAGO-GENERAL TORAL SURRENDERING TO 
GENERAL SHAFTER IN THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE 




MAJOR-GENERAL J. R, BROOKE 




REAR ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY 
The Hero of Manila 





COPYRR.GHT, 1898, BY KUR2 A ALL ' SON 

ADMIRAL DEWEY ON THE BRIDGE OF THE OLYMPIA DURING THE 
GREAT NAVAL BATTLE OF MANILA 




william Mckinley 

President of the United Spates 



MHIIilPMII'PIIIIMIIIIl'i 

JOHN D. LONG 

Secretary of the Navy 




MAJOR-GENERAL NELSON A. MILES 
Field Commander of the Armies of the United States 



' OADING ARTILLERY ON SHIPS AT TAMPA 














.,.'„:,■ 




_ : _ - - - - 




THE LAST MAN ON BOARD-TROOPS LEAVING CALIFORNIA 
FOR MANILA 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 129 



" It would never do to allow even one of the Spanish ships to get away. 
Straight into the west the strongest chase of modem times took place. The 
Brooklyn headed the pursuers. She stood well out from the shore in order 
to try to cut off the Cristobal Colon at a point jutting out into the sea far 
ahead. The Oregon kept a middle course about a mile from the cruiser. 
The desperate Don ran close along the shore, and now and then he threw a 
shell of defiance. The old Texas kept well up in the chase under forced 
draught for over two hours. 

" The fleet Spaniard led the Americans a merry chase, but she had no 
chance. The Brooklyn gradually forged ahead, so that the escape of the 
Cristobal Colon was cut off at the point above mentioned. The Oregon was 
abeam of the Colon then, and the gallant Don gave it up. At 1:15 o'clock 
he headed for the shore, and five minutes later down came the Spanish flag. 
None of our ships was then within a mile of her, but her escape was cut off. 
The Texas, Oregon, and Brooklyn closed in on her and stopped their engines 
a few hundred yards away. 

4 'We Have Won a Great Victory." 

"With the capture of the Cristobal Colon the battle was ended, and there 
was great rejoicing on all our ships. Meantime the New York, with Admiral 
Sampson on board, and the Vixen were coming up on the run. Commodore 
Schley signalled to Admiral Sampson: 'We have won a great victory; de- 
tails will be communicated/ 

" The victory certainly was Commodore Schley's. Then for an hour 
after the surrender in that little cove under the high hills was a general Fourth 
of July celebration, though a little premature. Our ships cheered one another, 
the captains indulged in compliments through the megaphones, and the Ore- 
gon got out its band, and the strains of the ' Star Spangled Banner' echoed 
over the lines of Spanish drawn up on the deck of the last of the Spanish fleet, 
and up over the lofty green-tipped hills of the Cuban mountains. 

" Commodore Schley, coming alongside the Texas from the Cristobal 
Colon in his gig, called out, cheerily : ' It was a nice fight, Jack ; wasn't it ? ' 

" The veterans of the Texas lined up and gave three hearty cheers and a 
tiger for their old commander-in-chief. Captain Philip called all hands to the 
quarter-deck, and, with bared head, thanked God for the almost bloodless 
victory. 

" ' I want to make public acknowledgment here/ he said, ' that I believe 

in God the Father Almighty. I want all you officers and men to lift your 

hats, and from your hearts offer silent thanks to the Almighty.' 

" All hats were off. There was a moment or two of absolute silence, and 
9 



130 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



then the overwrought feelings of the ship's company relieved themselves in 
three hearty cheers for their beloved commander. The Brooklyn later in 
the afternoon started east to chase a report that another Spanish warship had 
been seen. The vessel turned out to be the Austrian cruiser Maria Teresa. 
The Resolute came up, and the work of transferring the prisoners from the 
Cristobal Colon to her was begun. Five hundred and thirty men were taken 
off. Eight were missing. 

The Colon a Complete Wreck. 

" It was hoped that the Cristobal Colon might be saved as a Fourth of 
July gift to our navy. She was beached now on a sandy shore, and her stern 
was afloat. She was not materially damaged by the shots that had struck 
her. One thirteen-inch shell and one eight-inch had hit her, but it was found 
that the Spaniards had taken every mean measure to destroy her after they 
themselves were safe. They had opened every sea valve in the ship, and had 
thrown the caps overboard. They had opened all the ports and smashed the 
deadlights. They had even thrown the breech plugs of their guns overboard. 

" The Colon floated off at 7 o'clock in the evening, and drifted 500 yards 
down the beach to the westward, swinging bow out. The New York pushed 
her back stern on the beach, but the water was already up to her gun deck. 
At 1 1 o'clock she lurched and turned over on her starboard side, with her 
port guns pointing straight up to the sky. She lies only in four fathoms of 
water, but it is unlikely that she can ever be saved." 

The ease with which the Americans won the fight with Admiral Cer- 
vera's squadron was not due to strength of numbers. They fought the enemy 
ship for ship. Cervera had shrewdly waited until the blockade was weakest. 
He had seen the fast cruiser New Orleans leave; the outlook reported that 
the New York was down the coast, and that one of the battleships had gone 
to Guantanamo for coal. 

" We thought," Captain Eulate, of the Vizcaya, said, " that it was the 
Oregon which had left for coal. We knew that we could outrun the Massa- 
chusetts or the Indiana, the Iowa or the Texas, and believed, if we could lead 
the Brooklyn a long chase, we could close in and sink her. She was the only 
ship on station on the American side which we believed could equal us in 
speed. " 

Admiral Cervera reasoned shrewdly, but he did not know the temper of 
the American ships' crews, and the Oregon, which he supposed he was to 
evade, was on hand, and ran him down in a long chase, heavy battleship 
though she be. All of the American fleet's yachts and torpedo catchers were 
away, except the little Gloucester. Only the Oregon, the Iowa, the Brooklyn 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



131 



and the Texas were near enough to the entrance of the harbor to engage the 
Spanish ships if they made a dash to the westward. This explains why Cervera 
chose to make the desperate attempt at 9.30 o'clock in the morning rather than 
under cover of night. 

At night while the New York was returning to the blockade from the 
wreck of the Cristobal Colon, just as eight bells marked the beginning of the 
Fourth of July, a terrific explosion on the port bow shook her and brought 
the entire ship's company to the decks. A volcano of flames and blackened 
debris went skyward. The forward magazine of the Vizcaya had exploded, 
making a magnificent pyrotechnic display to greet the Fourth. 

The armistice relieved the men from fighting and gave opportunity to 
celebrate the day and the victory. Flags decorated all mastheads, and at 
noon the national salute was fired. 

Soon after Admiral Cervera reached the shore and surrendered he was 
taken to the Gloucester at his own request. There was no mistaking the 
heartbroken expression upon his face as he took the proffered hand of Lieuten- 
ant-Commander Wainwright and was shown to the latter's cabin, but he made 
every effort to bear bravely the bitter defeat that had come to him. He 
thanked the captain of the Gloucester for the words of congratulation offered 
on the gallant fight, and then spoke earnestly of his solicitude for the safety 
of his men on shore. 

He informed Lieutenant- Commander Wainwright that Cuban soldiers 
were on the hills preparing to attack his unarmed men, and said he thought 
his sailors had suffered enough in their battle with the American forces and 
that he was willing to surrender his entire command, but he asked that some 
protection be given to his men until they could be taken off in the American 
vessels. Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright had heard similar reports from 
his own officers regarding the presence of Cubans in the brush, and he sent 
a guard of armed soldiers ashore to prevent the Spanish prisoners from being 
molested. 

Cervera Appeals for Protection to His Men. 

This was only one of many instances in which the American troops 
treated the enemy with the greatest consideration. Our officers were un- 
willing to sacrifice any more lives than were necessary to obtain a victory 
over their foes. The Spaniards evidently expected to be treated with the 
utmost severity, and many who were captured were afraid they would be put 
to instant death. Hence their surprise was all the greater when they found 
the Americans had no intention of turning their victory into a massacre. 

The concern which Admiral Cervera felt for his men in the hour of his 
terrible defeat was most creditable to him, and he was delighted with the 



132 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



instant response to his request that his men should be protected. Orders 
were immediately given to cease firing upon the unprotected Spaniards, and 
save as many lives as possible. 

The story of Cervera's attempt to escape is an interesting one, and is told 
briefly by the commander of the frigate Adolpho Centrores, a prisoner on 
board the converted yacht Vixen, taken off the battleship Cristobal Colon. 
Chief Engineer Stanford E. Moses, of the Vixen, acted as interpreter for the 
correspondent, the conversation being in the international language of the 
navy, French. Commander Centrores told this story : 

" It is not true that the heavy fire of the American ships drove us out. 
Besides the accident to the Reina Mercedes, we had no casualties. The dy- 
namite shells of the Vesuvius did no damage except to terrorize people. A 
shell did not strike Smith Cay at all, but hit near the base. 

Bombarded by American Ships. 

" We arrived in Santiago harbor on the 19th of May. We did not know 
that our whereabouts were a secret. We made no attempt to hide or to 
cover up our plans. We simply took easy stages to get to Cuba. It was 
frightfully hot in the harbor, and we suffered greatly. We made no attempt 
to get out, and did not use our torpedo boats, as all our machinery was de- 
fective, and we were trying to repair it. The frequent bombardments by the 
American ships resulted in quite a loss of life, but did little other damage. 
The batteries were not harmed to any extent. 

" It is not true that we dismounted our ships' guns. The Reina Mer- 
cedes' guns were all on the forts when Commodore Schley arrived. On 
Saturday, the 28th of May, we got word that Schley had left Cienfuegos for 
Santiago. We started to get out. The news had come too late, for Schley 
had left a couple of his ships to act as decoys before Cienfuegos, and in the 
meantime had come down here. On Sunday morning, May 29th, we found 
Schley blocking our way. It was then Cervera's intention to come out and 
give battle. But General Linares and the citizens objected, and we stayed." 

" What about the Hobson expedition ?" was asked. 

" Well, we were very much surprised, and at the first alarm believed that 
a torpedo-boat attack was going on. The shore batteries opened up, and the 
ships used their rapid-fire guns. The dynamos were not going, however, and 
we had no searchlights, so that we could not find the object. We did not 
sink her with our batteries or our mines. She sunk herself with her own 
torpedoes by blowing out her bottom. Admiral Cervera, in making a tour 
of the shore batteries in a steam launch a little later, found Hobson swim- 
ming in the entrance and trying to get out to sea. He had on a life preserver, 



134 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



and when picked up asked that they save his companions. This was done* 
all of the men being in the water, and not on a raft as has been said." 
"Are Hobson and his men well?" 

" No. Mr. Hobson is all right, but all of the men are down with fever, 
and have been sick for some time. I believe they are well taken care of, 
however." 

Then Centrores began the most interesting part of his narrative, relating 
to the movements of Cervera. He said : 

" Admiral Cervera, after the arrival of the great American fleet, did not 
believe it wise to go out and try to fight it. He argued that the best policy 
for the fleet was to hold the harbor against the enemy, and be ready, by an 
enfilading fire over the hilltop, to drive back the invading army. At first the 
people in Santiago believed this wise, but provisions ran short, despatch after 
despatch came from Madrid, and it was found that public sentiment demanded 
a naval battle. On Saturday last a conference was called on the flagship Maria 
Teresa, and all the officers of the fleet were present. Admiral Cervera an- 
nounced his intention of going out. 

Deceived by False Lights. 

" It was decided to try it that night. Just after dark, and after the ships 
had got up their anchors, ready to start, beach lights were seen on the west- 
ern hill, and it was decided that -the American fleet had been warned of our 
intention and would close in on us. In addition to that, it was found that the 
searchlights flashed in the entrance from the American ships would prevent 
us steaming by the Merrimac wreck in a very narrow channel. It was after- 
ward, too late, learned that the supposed signal lights were insurgents burn- 
ing up block houses. 

" The order of coming out and the tactics to be employed were these : 
The Maria Teresa, carrying Admiral Cervera's flag, was to go first. Then 
was to follow the Vizcaya, the Oquendo and the Cristobal Colon. The tor- 
pedo-boat destroyers Furor and Pluton were to come out last and run inside 
of the ships, which were to hug the shore to the west. The west end of the 
blockading station was chosen because it was thought that the Brooklyn, 
being light in protection, would be the easiest to sink and as she was fast 
would be best out of the way." 

Then one of the other officers added : f< We never thought that the 
Brooklyn's battery was so terrible, or that she would attempt to fight all of 1 
us. She was a frightful sight when all her guns were going." 

Continuing, the commander said : " On Sunday morning the lookouts 
reported that the Massachusetts, New Orleans and New York were not in 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 135 



sight, and it was concluded that it was a good time to make the start. We 
were the last ship out, and we saw at once that the Brooklyn, Texas and Ore- 
gon were doing dreadful work with the two leading ships. 

" That is all I know of the battle, except that two eight-inch shells from 
the Brooklyn went through us and a thirteen-inch shell from the Oregon 
hit us in the stern. We saw no other ships than those in the last two 
hours ; but we had to make such a long detour in going out that we 
thought it best to surrender." { 

He waited for a moment, and then said : " Brassey's ' Naval Annual ' 
puts the Oregon down at fifteen knots, but she was doing more than that 
when she chased us." 

All of the officers captured were pretty well broken up over the affair. 
They said that they had not heard from home for three months. None of 
the officers of the Colon was killed. 

Admiral Cervera, after he was made a prisoner of war and arrived at 
Portsmouth, N. H., said he had received three cablegrams from the Minister 
of Marine at Madrid, ordering him to leave Santiago. Knowing the force 
he would have to encounter, he felt convinced that obedience to these orders 
would spell " suicide " to the imprisoned fleet that faced it, and he hesitated 
about taking the risk. 

Ordered to Fight the Enemy. 

Then came another despatch, a peremptory one, that left no choice but 
to obey. It said — " No matter what the consequences are, go to sea at once 
and fight the enemy." 

" So I went out," the Admiral said. " My plan was to attack your 
Brooklyn, sink or disable her if possible, then run to Havana, raise the block- 
ade there and seek refuge in the harbor, but I failed in my purpose, as you 
know, lost all I had, my fleet and everything. My country's misfortune and 
my own are very great." 

The conversation turned to Hobson and his forlorn hope, and the Ad- 
miral had no word of praise too high for that little band of heroes and their 
world-renowned exploit. 

Cervera then spoke of Captain Wainwright, of the Gloucester, and his 
brave, big-hearted executive officer, Lieutenant H. Mc. L. P. Huse. Cer- 
vera thanked them both from the bottom of his heart for the manner in 
which they had stood by the fire-imperilled Maria Teresa, whose heated guns 
made a fearful danger zone and whose magazine threatened to dash the life 
from every one near by. 

Seeing the danger, Cervera begged Lieutenant Huse to shove off from 



136 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE XEAR SANTIAGO. 



the flaming wreck. " That gallant and noble officer," said Cervera, "replied 
and said : ' No, Admiral, not until I have rescued all your wounded ! ' " 

" I jumped overboard,"' said the Admiral, speaking of his own adven- 
tures, u and my son followed me. I could make no headway and would have 
been drowned had not he helped me and borne me up with his younger and 
stronger arms. While we were struggling in the water the Cubans on shore 
fired at us, but the Americans drove them aw T ay and would not allow them to 
molest us again. Then I was taken on board the Gloucester and then to the 
Iowa." 

The Admiral was asked about the first bombardment of Santiago. u It 
was a great surprise/" he confessed. He had feared that the Cristobal Colon 
would have been sunk, as the rest of the fleet w T as not within supporting dis- 
tance, and the forts at that time w T ere but imperfectly defended, mounting but 
a few r guns. 

He could not understand wmy the American ships did not close in and 
strike the Colon en masse, as she had none of her big guns on board. 

Weakened by Lack of Big Guns. 

'' Did not have her big guns? Where were they?" was the question 
that interrupted the Admiral's talk. 

" In Italy — or perhaps in the pockets of our chief of ordnance," %vas the 
reply, given with an expressive' shrug. 

Continuing, the Admiral said that during the attack of June 6th the 
Reina Mercedes was struck several times, and that the captain and four of the 
vessel's crew had been killed. He was greatly impressed by the battery 
practice of the Texas during the fight of June 22d, and gave high praise to 
that vessel for the splendid way in which her guns were handled. 

Of Captain Robley D. Evans, of the Iow r a, the Admiral spoke in glow T ing 
terms. On board that vessel he had been received more as a conqueror than 
a captive, had been allowed to retain his sword, and had seen the marine 
guard of the ship stationed to receive him as though he was a visiting 
admiral instead of a half-drowned and sadly beaten hostage of w r ar. 

Eulate, captain of the Vizcaya, also spoke in high terms of Captain 
Evans, and appreciated the courtesy of " Fighting Bob " in allowing him to 
retain his sword, and also for the w T ay in w T hich he allowed the Vizcaya's dead 
to be buried. After the Spanish flag had been wrapped around the bodies 
the padre of the Vizcaya committed them to the deep, the Iowa's guard of 
marines firing three volleys over the dead. 

Cervera told Commodore Schley that one shell w T hich had burst on board 
the Maria Teresa killed and wounded eighty men 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



137 



Captain Eulate, of the Vizcaya, wounded, halt of limb and depressed in 
spirit, said he had saved his honor, although he had lost his ship. That was 
the wording of a despatch which he had sent his wife after the destruction of 
the Vizcaya. 

" When you think of the odds I encountered, you will see that I could 
not do more than I did," Captain Eulate said. " I had only one ship against 
four. My enemies were the Brooklyn, the Oregon and the Texas, and, I 
think, the Iowa was the other. All four punished us severely, but it was the 
Texas that gave us our coup etc grace — a shell fired from that vessel entering 
our port bow and exploding one of the forward magazines. My men stood by 
their guns and fought like true Spaniards." 

As the Spaniards had lost all their ships and half their number in killed 
and wounded, and had inflicted no damage in return, there was none to gain- 
say Captain Eulate's claim that his men had fought like Spaniards. 

" But naval conflicts now are not determined by courage," sighed the 
mournful Captain. "The victory is to the finer machine, and the American 
machines were better than ours. The Vizcaya, ah ! she was a fine ship ! And 
now what a wreck ! Poor Spain ! " 

A Battle Relic for Admiral Schley. 

There were a couple of curious incidents on July ioth. A boat's crew 
with diving apparatus was sent from the Brooklyn to examine the Infanta 
Maria Teresa, the flagship of Admiral Cervera. Among the terrible wreck- 
age made by the big guns and the exploded magazines, they found a standard 
compass by which the ship was steered, and which had tumbled down with 
the bridge. It was a heavy thing, but they brought it over, and, by permis- 
sion of Captain Cook, presented it to Admiral Schley. 

It was a curious sight and withal a pleasing one to see these men, bub- 
bling over with affection for the commander, shuffle on to the quarterdeck, 
where Admiral Schley was reading. One of the men representing the entire 
crew, and two men following him and carrying the thing, stepped close to 
the Admiral, and then the spokesman, in a stammering way, said: "Sir, the 
crew would like to make you a present." 

Schley was on his feet in an instant, his glasses in his hand and his 
paper on the deck The spokesman hesitated. 

"Well, my men," said the Admiral, with an encouraging smile, and the 
spokesman hitching at his trousers, continued: "We found this compass on 
the Spanish Admiral's ship, and we thought as how we would like to give it 
to you to remember how you whipped them." 

" Well, my men," said the Admiral, with a tremor in his voice, " I am 



138 GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



much obliged to you, but the great credit of that victory belongs to you 
boys — the men behind the guns. Without you no laurels would come to 
our country. Thank you." 

There was a hearty three cheers from the men, and the gunner's mate, 
Donnelly, thinking that something should be said in answer, touched his cap 
and blurted out : " We hopes, sir, as how you'll steer a straighter course than 
the other fellow who owned it," and there was another approving cheer as 
the men dispersed. 

With the usual twinkle of his eye bejeweled with a tear, the Admiral 
said, as he turned away : " I'd rather have a thing like this than the adula- 
tions of my entire country. " 

For the first time since the blockade opened, Yankee commercial inge- 
nuity was visible. The lookout on the Brooklyn saw a steamer on the 
western horizon line, and the big cruiser immediately started on a chase. A 
shot fired from a six-pounder hove her to, and Lieutenant Doyle and a crew 
from the Brooklyn boarded her. When he returned he wore a broad smile, 
and when he reported to Captain Cook there was a hearty laugh. The ship 
was loaded with provisions, and had permission to remain outside of Santiago 
until the city was captured by the Americans, when it was expected that the 
populace would pay splendid prices for the goods. She was allowed to 
remain outside of the blockade line. 

Praise from a Marine for "Fighting Bob." 

A letter from a sergeant of the Marine Corps on board the battleship 
Iowa, gave an interesting account of the fight and the destruction of 
Cervera's fleet. It was as follows : 

" I understand you want me to give you an account of the big naval 
fight, which is causing so much excitement in the United States. I am not 
much at writing, but will try and give as correct an idea as I can. My station 
on the pride of the navy in action is on the main deck or gun deck. The 
marines man all the guns on this deck including the four and six-inch rapid- 
firing guns, eight in all, besides two ten-inch pieces. I had, therefore, a good 
opportunity of seeing how things were on that eventful day. We had just 
assembled on the quarter deck for quarters, and were in hopes of having a 
quiet Sunday, when at 9.35 general quarters sounded. Our ship, whose sta- 
tion was opposite the entrance, was the first to discover the Spanish escaping 
and notified our fleet. I was one of those who first saw the ships coming 
out. There seems lots of trouble in the fleet as to what ship gave the alarm ? 
but if those ships claiming the honor should let the officers know why they 
did not display the proper signal of the men on the Iowa, who were on watch 



GREAT NAVAL BATTLE NEAR SANTIAGO. 



139 



at the time, it would stop this unnecessary and unprofitable talk as to whom 
the honor belongs. 

" While at our quarters on Sunday inspection, general quarters were 
sounded, and as every one, except the officers and men on the forward bridge, 
were in the dark as to why it was sounded, it was a case of what's coming 
now, but we were all soon informed as almost immediately we fired a gun to 
draw attention. 

" In ten minutes after that we forgot our excitement and settled down 
for a little target practice at the Spaniards' expense. Admiral Sampson, who 
was with Shafter for a conference to determine an attack by land and sea, 
hearing the shot and seeing the signal, hastened with his ship. The Iowa 
steamed into the mouth of the harbor, and engaged the Vizcaya, Maria 
Teresa and Almirante Oquendo. While fighting we shaped our course the 
same way as the enemy. The Oquendo shortly after starting was set on fire 
by our shells and headed for the beach. Just then we noticed the vessels 
which gave us most coneern, the torpedo-boat destroyers Furor and Pluton, 
All our secondary battery was turned on them, and also our four-inch, and in 
a few minutes they were on fire and beached. 

Spanish Ships Driven Ashore. 

"A shell from the Vizcaya landed in our coffer-dam, just forward of our 
starboard 4-inch gun, and Corporal Smith, who was pumping into them, 
looked up and smiled, but never stopped. In keeping at it he has a record 
of 135 shells in forty-five minutes from a main battery gun. 

" Another shell from the same vessel landed in our middle berth deck 
compartment and exploded, tearing to pieces ditty boxes and chain lockers. 
It also started a small fire, which was promptly extinguished. The Maria 
Teresa shared the same fate as the Oquendo, and beached half a mile from 
her. The Vizcaya got the same dose, and lies about four miles to the west- 
ward of them on the beach. The Cristobal Colon got away from us on the 
start, but we paid little attentiou to her, thinking that the Brooklyn would 
hold her. She got away to a distance of seventy miles from Santiago, hotly 
pursued by the Oregon, Texas, and New York. At the time of the fleet 
coming out, the Brooklyn was 5000 yards south of her station, but of course 
she came in for a share of glory. 

" The Massachusetts was at Guantanamo coaling, but had an able repre- 
sentative, Captain Robley D. Evans's son, who was left out on picket duty. 
He came on the Iowa naturally, as his father was in command. I learned 
from one of the Spanish prisoners, who happened to speak English, that they 
were to concentrate their fire on the Iowa. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Naval Officers Narrate the Story of Cervera's Defeat. 

HE naval battle of Santiago was fought on Sunday, July 3d, but it 
was not until the next morning that Admiral Sampson's despatch 
announcing the destruction of Cervera's fleet was received in 
Washington. It was as follows: 
" Playa, via Hayti, July 4th. — Secretary of Navy, 3.15 A. m., Siboney, 3d. — 
The fleet under my command offers the nation as a Fourth of July present 
the destruction of the whole of Cervera's fleet. No one escaped. It at- 
tempted to escape at 9. 30 A. m., and 2 p. M. the last, the Cristobal Colon, had 
run ashore sixty miles west of Santiago and has let down her colors. The 
Infanta Maria Teresa, Oquendo and Vizcaya were forced ashore, burned and 
blown up within twenty miles of Santiago; the Furor and Pluton were 
destroyed within four miles of the port. Loss, one killed and two wounded. 
Enemy's loss probably several hundred from gun fire, explosions and drown- 
ing. About 1300 prisoners, including Admiral Cervera. The man killed 
was George H. Ellis, chief yeoman of the Brooklyn. " Sampson." 

The following message was sent in reply to Admiral Sampson by the 
President : 

"To Admiral Sampson, Playa del Este: — You have the gratitude and 
congratulations of the whole American people. Convey to your noble officers 
and crews, through whose valor new honors have been added to the Ameri- 
cans, the grateful thanks and appreciation of the nation. 




" Any doubt that may have existed that the Maine was blown up by an 
outside explosion has been dissolved by the examination of the destroyed 
Spanish ships, said a member of the Board of Survey that examined the 
remnants of Admiral Cervera's fleet. 

" Of four ships examined three had been blown up by their magazines," 
he continued, " and of these one had every magazine exploded, and torpedoes 
in addition, yet on none of them was the same effect as that produced by the 
explosion on the Maine. There was no upheaval of the keel and little bulg- 
ing of the plates except in the immediate vicinity of the explosion. 

140 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



141 



The examination of the wrecks of the Spanish ships, three of which were 
burned and all their magazines exploded, was made, first for the purpose of 
ascertaining the effect of American gunnery, and secondly to find the effect of 
internal explosion. Both subjects bore upon the Maine incident as noted 
above and the awful effect of well-aimed shots was demonstrated in the rapid 
sinking of the fleet. 

When it is remembered that the Almirante Oquendo and the Infanta 
Maria Teresa were both sunk within forty minutes of the time they left 
the entrance of Santiago harbor, the work of the American gunners may well 
be considered remarkable. The Almirante Oquendo was struck over fifty-five 
times and the Infanta Maria Teresa thirty-seven times, but by larger projec- 
tiles than the other. 

The record of the damage to these ships is one of great interest. The 
fight started at a range of 6000 yards, or three miles. At 2000 or 2500 yards 
two torpedo boats and two cruisers were annihilated. The closest fighting 
was done at 1100 and 1000 yards by the Brooklyn and Vizcaya, with anni- 
hilating effect on the Spanish ship. 

Only two projectiles larger than 8-inch struck a vessel, both of these, 
either twelve or thirteen inch, being put through the Infanta Maria Teresa. 
The 8-inch, 6-inch, 5-inch and 6-pound projectiles did the bulk of the work 
and were frightfully destructive. 

Summary of the Injuries. 

Some idea of the effect can be obtained from a brief summary of the in- 
juries to each ship by the Examining Board. The board had upon it such 
capable men as Executive Officer Rogers, of the Iowa; Executive Officer 
Mason, of the Brooklyn, an expert on the effect of shells on armor; Lieuten- 
ant Huessler, of the Texas, who has made some splendid improvements in 
gun firing on that ship, and Naval Constructor Hobson, of Merrimac fame, 
who has a reputation for knowledge of ship construction. 

Briefly these officers found as follows : Cristobal Colon, battleship, first- 
class, with six inches of steel for protection not only on the water line, but 
around the 6-inch guns. This ship was hit by large projectiles but six times, 
as it kept out of range nearly the whole time, passing behind the other ships 
for protection, and finally making a run for it. 

The hits were made by the Brooklyn and Oregon. One 8-inch shell 
went into the port side of the wardroom and left on the starboard side without 
exploding, but cleaned out everything in the room. A 5-inch hit just above 
the armor belt, and a 6-inch struck her on the bow. None of the injuries 
wag sufficient to put her out of action nor as serious as those received by the 



142 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



Brooklyn, at one time her sole antagonist. The assertion that the Brooklyn 
was overhauling her and that the Oregon's terrific 13-inch guns were shooting 




DAMAGE DONE TO A BATTLESHIP BY A TORPEDO. 



nearer and nearer, and that escape was impossible, seems to be the correct 
solution of her surrender. 

The Vizcaya, armored cruiser, is of the same class as the battleships 
Texas and Maine. She carries two 11.5-inch guns and ten 5-5-inch guns 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



143 



with protections, ten and twelve inches thick, double and treble that of the 
Brooklyn. 

This ship was the special prey of the Brooklyn and the Oregon, although 
the Texas, after her destructive work on the Almirante Oquendo and Teresa, 
aided a little at long range. The Vizcaya, exclusive of one-pounders and 
rapid-fire hits, which swept her deck, was hit with large projectiles fourteen 
times and by six-pounders eleven times. 

The 8-inch guns of the Brooklyn and Oregon, the 6-inch guns on the 
Oregon and 5 -inch on the Brooklyn tore her structure above the armor belt 
almost into shreds, while the six- pounders and one-pounders made it too warm 
for men to stand at the guns. The Texas got in a few 6-inch shots and the 
Iowa landed a couple of 4-inch shells. No 13 or 12-inch shells struck her. 

The Infanta Maria Teresa, the flag-ship, of the same build as the Vizcaya, 
was badly punished. She has two 12 or 13-inch projectiles clean through 
her, and the position of one would tend to demonstrate that it was fired by 
the Texas. An 8-inch shell, undoubtedly from the Brooklyn, because she 
was the only ship in line with the Maria Teresa as she turned west, entered 
just forward of the beam on the port side, and, exploding inside, cleaned out 
the deck with four gun crews. This is the shot that Cervera said came from 
the Brooklyn and set fire to the ship. 

The Teresa's great difficulty, and one that compelled her hurried surren- 
der, was that all her fire mains were cut and she was unable to extinguish the 
fires that were driving her men from the guns. 

Oquendo Worst Hit of All. 

The Almirante Oquendo, armored cruiser, same class as Vizcaya and 
Teresa, went through the most terrible ordeal of any of the ships except 
torpedo boats. Her upper works were one ragged mass of cut-up steel, 
and her decks were covered with dead and dying. 

She was hit on the port side four times by eight-inch shells, three times 
by four-inch shells, probably from the Iowa, two times by six-inch, and forty- 
two times by six-pounders. The innumerable number of one-pounders that 
struck her show that she met the fire of the entire fleet as she turned last out 
of the harbor. The secondary battery shots intended for the torpedo boats 
hit her. When she turned to the shore it was in a dilapidated condition. 

One of the findings of the Board of Survey was that an eight-inch shell 
had struck the forward turret just where the gun opening was, and that every 
man in the turret was killed, the officer standing in the firing-hood being still 
in that position. Another fact learned was that the torpedoes in some of the 
ships were already loaded in tubes and prepared to fire, 



144 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



Rear-Admiral W. S. Schley reached Washington on August 27th. The 
news of his coming had been published, and an enthusiastic crowd was wait- 
ing at the station to welcome him. As he stepped from the train, his admirers 
broke into applause, and a delegation on bicycles preceded his carriage, 
informing the people along the route that Schley was coming. In an inter- 
view Admiral Schley gave an interesting account of the battle of July 3 and 
the bombardment of Santiago. 

" My mind, in regard to the battle," he said, " is like a camera full of 
instantaneous photographs, the negatives of which have not been fully devel- 
oped. It has been so far impossible for me to form a correct impression of 
the entire engagement, but in thinking it over from time to time, I remember 
new circumstances and impressions that were made on my mind at the time, 
but which had not before been remembered. In the course of time I will 
have the negatives well developed and be able to give the correct history of 
the engagement as I saw it. 

Not Taken by Surprise. 

" As far as our being in the least unprepared for the battle, it is all non- 
sense. We could not have been more prepared for them if they had notified 
us that they were coming out. Our men watched the harbor night and day 
so closely that a rat could not have slipped out without being seen. 

" On the morning the enemy left the harbor my quartermaster reported 
to me that columns of smoke were shifting about the harbor, and were denser 
than usual. It looked as though they were preparing for a dash. I was 
positive that they would come out within twenty-four hours. Public opinion 
everywhere is the same, and public opinion was sure to force Cervera to fight. 
So sure were we that they were coming out of the harbor that we were at 
quarters when they appeared, and three minutes later we had begun firing. 
It was the same on the other vessels, and the signal that the enemy was 
coming out appeared on all the ships almost at the sane instant." 

In speaking of the relative merits of the eight-inch and thirteen-inch 
guns as shown in the engagement, Admiral Schley said : " I think the relative 
merits of the two guns are about the same. The only difference is that when 
you are too far away with the eight-inch guns for them to pierce the armor 
of the enemy you must get nearer. If they are near enough they will shoot 
through anything put before them. It is like the case of Admiral Farragut 
when he sent a commander to bombard a fort. When the commander had 
reached the station assigned he signaled, ' I cannot reach the enemy.' ' Go 
nearer,' signaled back Admiral Farragut." 

To the American sailor and " the man behind the gun " Admiral Schley 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



145 



says he cannot give enough praise. " I consider it the highest honor to com- 
mand such a splendid body of men. No better sailors and fighters can be 
found in the world, and I doubt if they can be equaled. During moments 
when a rain of iron hail was pouring all around us the men laughed, and 
when a shot struck near them they gave a cheer. They were absolutely 
fearless, even in the face of death. 

" How we escaped with such little loss will always be a marvel to me. 
From the instant the nose of the first ship appeared beyond the harbor en- 
trance the Spaniards poured into us and about us a terrible and continuous 
fire from all their guns. They were prepared to fire as rapidly as possible 
and did so in their desperate hope of escape. I do not think the result was 
due to any confusion on their ships, but to a lack of practice. They simply 
could not hit us, while our men were so well trained that they could almost 
hit a mosquito. For seven or eight years they had been practicing for such 
an opportunity, and they pumped shot after shot into the enemy, and after 
they secured the range every shot told. 

Spanish Admiral's Mistake. 

"The Spaniards under-rated the Americans and America from the 
beginning. As a matter of fact they were never in our class at all. The 
ships that sailed out of the harbor were the finest that could be put together, 
yet they never had a chance of escaping. If I had been in command of the 
enemy's fleet I would never have adopted the tactics employed by Admiral 
Cervera. 

" If they had scattered as soon as they had come out, one or two might 
have escaped, which would have been a victory for him, even if the others 
had been sacrificed. If he had taken a dark night he would have had a 
better chance. If I had been in his place I should not have let a dark night 
pass without trying to escape. As it was, he could not have suited our con- 
venience better. When he came out we were prepared to fight and, if ne- 
cessary, to chase him. I had coal and provisions enough to follow him to 
Cadiz." 

Admiral Schley said he thought the surrender of Santiago was due to 

the bombardment by the navy. If it had not surrendered when it did the 

town would have been wiped from the map. " Out of 106 eight and six-inch 

shots fired over the hills at the city," he said, many fell in the city itself. If the 

city had not surrendered the next day we would have brought up the other 

vessels and dropped the ten and thirteen-inch shells into the city. They had 

no alternative but to surrender. The distance was four and a half miles, and 

the intervening hills were about 250 feet in height, It shows how accurate 
10 ' 



146 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



was our gunnery. I saw no listing of the vessels for the purpose of bom- 
barding the town. It was not necessary in the case of the Brooklyn, as we 
simply elevated the guns with the ordinary elevating apparatus. I do not 
believe that the Indiana and the Texas were listed for this purpose, as no 
thirteen-inch shells were fired. They would have been brought into ser- 
vice the next day if it had been necessary." 

Says a special correspondent who was on board the Indiana : " We were 
at quarters for muster on Sunday, July 3rd, when the Oregon, lying off the 
mouth of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, sent up the signal, ' Enemy's ships 
coming out,' firing a gun to attract attention. Our ships cleared for action 
and closed in toward the mouth of the harbor. We were in the following 
order : — The Indiana to the eastward and nearly opposite Morro, the Iowa 
next, and then the Oregon, the Texas and the Brooklyn. The little Glou- 
cester was lying to the eastward of the Indiana and close inshore ; the other 
ships were at varying distances to the westward. The New York and the 
Massachusetts were at Siboney and Guantanamo respectively. 

" The Infanta Maria Teresa, bearing the flag of Admiral Cervera, ap- 
peared in the mouth of the channel at twenty minutes of ten, quickly passing 
out and turning to the westward. The Oregon opened the fight, followed 
by the Indiana. As the Spanish flagship turned she opened on the Indiana 
with one 11-inch and five 5-inch rapid-fire guns, only two of the shells 
coming near. The other Spanish ships followed in quick succession, turning 
toward the flagship, the Vizcaya, the Cristobal Colon and the Almirante 
Oquendo being in the order named. 

No Signal Was Hoisted. 

" The battle that followed was without plan, signal or direction on our 
part, yet our success is unequaled in the records of naval warfare. After a 
short interval the torpedo-boat destroyers Pluton and Furor came out of the 
harbor and followed in"the wake of the larger ships of the fleet. Lack of speed 
in most cases is a great drawback in naval warfare, but in this case the slower 
speed of the Indiana gave her glorious results. 

" Our ships turned to the westward on a course parallel with that steered 
by the Spanish ships, the Brooklyn leading and well out to sea. The Oregon, 
the Iowa and the Indiana closed in toward the enemy, running in to about 
3,000 yards range. The flagship received the fire of all our ships. The In- 
diana concentrated her fire on the succeeding ships as they appeared, until 
the Almirante came out ; then the battle was a series of duels between the 
ships, in the order mentioned, on each side. The Spanish flagship soon 
dropped to second and then to third place, and the Cristobal Colon drew up 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



147 



to first place. The Oregon, in hot chase, making splendid speed, hung to the 
leaders. 

" The fire of the Infanta Maria Teresa slackened visibly. A column of 
white smoke rose from her forward part and she headed for the shore on fire. 
About 1,000 yards astern, the Almirante Oquendo was receiving the full fire 
of the Indiana's main battery, with the 6-pounders playing a devil's tattoo 
about her sides and upper works. Word was passed for the 6 pounders to 
concentrate on the destroyers, then hotly engaging the Gloucester. 

" Never was a better fight made, than by the Gloucester, at short range 
with these two terrors. A sheet of flame seemed to pour from her sides as 
she drove an incessant fire of rapid-fire projectiles at them. The Indiana's 6- 
pounders, having played havoc with the Almirante Oquendo up to 4,500 
yards' range, now turned on the Pluton. The guns were worked at their best 
and their fire was deadly. Soon, a cloud of white smoke went up from the 
forward part of the Pluton and she turned for the beach. 

" A wild cheer from our men called attention to the fact that the Almi- 
rante Oquendo was also heading for the beach, about five hundred yards from 
the spot where the blazing hull of the flagship lay. Her colors were flying 
and our fire was kept up, dealing death and destruction. She finally struck 
her colors and hoisted the white flag. The 6 pounder fire had been kept up 
on the Pluton, resulting in another explosion. Now the main battery opened 
on these two terrors, one shot striking the Pluton just as she struck on the 
beach, breaking her back. 

Lay Panting Like a Dying Animal. 

" The Furor was struck in the forward boiler, but turned and made for 
the Gloucester in a last effort. It was futile, for the rain of steel kept up, and 
there was another explosion. Turning broadside to the Gloucester, she lay 
like a wounded, dying animal, panting and breathing in her death throes. The 
Gloucester ceased firing and approached her. We could not see where she 
sank, but she was not afloat fifteen minutes after the last shot. 

" The Texas and the Iowa meanwhile were pounding the Vizcaya. Noth- 
ing of the Oregon could be seen through the smoke, except now and then 
the top of her military mast. She was chasing the flying Cristobal Colon. 
The Brooklyn, further ahead and to seaward, was heading her off and pouring 
in her fire. 

" The Vizcaya turned and seemed inclined to run back, but the Indiana 
headed in to cut her off, whereupon she headed toward the beach. The fire 
from the Texas and the Iowa was kept up until she struck her colors. Every- 
thing forward was a mass of flame. Now, within twelve miles of the Morro, 



148 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



lay the burning, exploding wrecks of three fine armored cruisers and two 
dreaded destroyers. By half-past one o'clock the Colon surrendered, and 
ran ashore to keep from sinking, sixty miles from Morro. 

"After the Vizcaya headed for the shore the New York came flying from 
Siboney, and sent the Indiana back to guard the harbor. On the way we 
stopped near the Almirante Oquendo and the Infanta Maria Teresa to help 
care for the wounded and prisoners. A newspaper tug approached us, and, 
after cheering, said : ' You have an armored cruiser and a destroyer to your 
credit.' 

" At this time a scurrying line of transports was seen flying from Baiquiri 
and Siboney, the Resolute firing guns and displaying the signal ' Enemy's 
battleship approaching.' From the eastward came speeding under all steam, 
with men again at their guns and with the prospect of a history-making fight 
before them, the Indiana, headed for the reported battleship. 

" The Harvard approached and reported that a Spanish battleship was 
approaching. We saw her and headed in shore to keep her from escaping 
into the harbor. Keeping her under the guns we discovered that she was 
an Austrian. We returned to a point near Morro, and sent boats for wounded 
and prisoners. A near view of the Almirante Oquendo and Infanta Maria 
Teresa showed their upper works and sides pierced by scores of shells, mostly 
six-pounders. 

Suffocated by Escaping Steam. 

"A prisoner, the Admiral's aid, told me their water *nains had been cut 
by the first shell entering. The second cut a steam-pipe and set fire to the 
ship. The escaping steam suffocated the wounded, and the fire got beyond 
control. The fire from our 6-pounders drove the men from their guns. 

" The Indiana, during the action, fired twenty-one hundred 6-pound 
shots. We had 209 men and seven officers as prisoners, while there were 
about 500 more on the Iowa and the Yale. Admiral Cervera and two cap- 
tains were taken by tke Gloucester to the Iowa. We estimate the Spanish 
loss at 1,200 officers and men. 

" The Indiana was hit twice on the after turret, but no damage was done. 
Our fleet's total losses were one man killed and five wounded, all aboard the 
Brooklyn. The enemy, on the night of the Fourth, sank a vessel in the 
channel at Santiago. During the firing to prevent this the Indiana was fired 
upon by the Zocapa battery, and struck by a mortar shell in the wardroom 
passage, wrecking officers' rooms, but doing no other damage. 

" The secondary battery fire of the Brooklyn was really terrible. It 
drove my men from their guns, and when you were at close range did fright 
ful work," said Captain Eulate two days after Schley's defeat of the Spanish 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



149 



squadron, and a rescued officer of the Oquendo said that nearly one-half of 
the terrible damage to that ship was done by one and six-pounders, which 
constitute the secondary battery. The Board of Survey ordered by the Com- 
mander-in-Chief found forty-six six-pounder holes in the Oquendo above her 
armor belt, and evidence that nearly all had entered and exploded. 

In the Vizcaya there were eleven six-pounder holes and dozens of one- 
pounders, and on these two ships the tattoo of death-dealing shells must have 
been appalling. The terrible work of secondary batteries on the Oquendo is 
somewhat explained by the fact that she was the last ship out and nearest the 
torpedo boats, and the Brooklyn, Texas, and Iowa simply riddled her as she 
attempted to defend the two destroyers. 

The work on the Vizcaya was apparently done by the Brooklyn alone, 
because no other ship was near enough to her to use the small guns. The 
men on board the ships who man these batteries are marines, and they fight 
them in the most exposed parts of the ships with little or no protection. 

Captain Murphy's Story. 

Captain Paul St. Clair Murphy, of the Brooklyn, was the senior marine 
officer present on the ships that did the fighting on July 3, and he commended 
greatly the valiant work done by the men in his corps. Speaking of the men 
on the Brooklyn, he told one very thrilling incident. He said : 

" The men were full of enthusiasm, but there was no excitement or 
disorder, and apparently no concern for personal safety. The battery was 
handled with admirable coolness and deliberation. Greater care could not be 
taken in getting sights and aiming if the men had been at target practice and 
each man striving to make a record score. 

" Considering the fact that the enemy was within effective range during 
the greater part of the action, the fire of the secondary battery must have 
been most destructive to his men and material, and contributed its full share 
to bringing the battle to an end so speedily, and with so little loss to ourselves. 

" When all did their duty manfully it is a difficult matter to select indi- 
viduals for special mention. There are some, however, who deserve to be 
brought to notice by name for conduct that displayed in a conspicuous 
manner courage, intelligence, and devotion to duty. During the early part of 
the action, a cartridge jammed in the bore of the starboard forward six- 
pounder, and in the effort to withdraw it the case became detached from the 
projectile, leaving the latter fast in the bore and impossible to extract from 
the rear. 

" Corporal Robert Grey, of the port gun, asked and obtained permission 
to attempt to drive a shell out by means of the rammer. To do this it was 



150 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



necessary to go out on the gun, hanging over the water, and the undertaking 
was full of difficulties and danger, the latter due in a great measure to the 
blast of the 8-inch turret guns firing overhead. The gun was hot, and it was 
necessary to cling to the ' Jacob's ladder ' with one hand while endeavoring 
with the other to manipulate the long rammer. After a brave effort he was 
forced to give up and was ordered in. Quarter Gunner Smith then came, 
sent by Executive Officer Mason, and promptly placed himself in the dangerous 
position outside the gun port, where he worked and failed as the corporal had 
done. Neither had been able to get the rammer into the bore, and there 
seemed nothing left to do but to dismount the gun. 

" At this juncture Private MacNeal, one of the gun's crew, volunteered 
to go out and make a final effort. The gun was so important, the starboard 
battery being engaged, that as a forlorn hope he was permitted to make the 
attempt. He pushed out boldly and set to work. The guns of the forward 
8-inch turret were firing, almost knocking him overboard, and the enemy's 
shots were coming with frequency into his immediate neighborhood. It was 
at this time the chief yeoman was killed on the other side of the deck. 

" MacNeal never paused in his work. The rammer was finally placed in 
the bore and the shell ejected and MacNeal resumed his duties as coolly as if 
what he had done were a matter of every day routine. 

Other Heroes in Exposed Positions. 

" The battle orderlies will merit a place among those whose conduct is 
worthy of special mention. They were on the move constantly, bearing battle 
orders from Commodore Schley and Captain Cook, and in no instant did they 
fail in the prompt and intelligent performance of their duty. The signal men 
occupied very exposed positions during the action and rendered excellent 
service. Signal halyards and numbers and speed cones were riddled by 
small projectiles and fragments of bursting shell, casualties that showed in 
what zone of danger the signal men performed their duties. 

" Signalmen Coombs and Mclntyre and Battle Orderlies Ball and Davis 
were so near Yeoman Ellis when he was killed that they were spattered with 
■blood. None showed more unflinching courage than the men in the military 
tops, who stood by their guns, delivering their fire with unerring precision, 
undismayed by the projectiles that were flying about them and striking in 
their immediate vicinity, Private Stockbridge, the only man on the sick list, 
climbed into the main top at the signal for battle and there he remained until 
the end of the action, doing work at his gun." 

Captain Cook officially reported the movements of the Brooklyn as 
follows : 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



151 



" At 9 a.m., July 3, I gave orders and arrangements were made for general 
muster at 9.30 a.m. At 9.30 a.m. the enemy were telegraphed by the Iowa as 
coming out. At the same time they were discovered by the quartermaster on 
watch, N. Anderson, of this ship, and reported to the officer of the deck. The 
executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander Mason, who was on deck about to 
execute the order for general muster, immediately gave the order 4 Clear ship 
for action and general quarters ! ' Signal was made at the same time, ' Enemy 
coming out — action !' I went immediately forward, stood for the enemy and 
gave orders to get steam on all boilers. 

" We started with steam on three boilers, at about twelve knots speed. 

"The head of the Spanish squadron, in column, was just outside the 
entrance of the harbor of Santiago, heading about southwest. The Spanish 
squadron consisted of the Maria Teresa (flag), Vizcaya, Oquendo and Colon, 
and two torpedo-boat destroyers. We opened fire on the leading ship in five 
minutes from the discovery. 

" The port battery was first engaged, as we stood with port helm to head 
off the leading ship, and giving them a raking fire at about 1500 yards range. 
The enemy turned to the westward to close into the land. We then wore 
around to starboard, bringing the starboard battery into action. The enemy 
hugged the shore to the westward. 

"The Brooklyn, leading, was followed by the Texas, Iowa, Oregon, 
Indiana and Gloucester. The Vixen, which had been to the westward of us 
on the blockade, ran to the southward and eastward of us and kept for 
some time off our port side, distant about 1000 yards, evidently intending to 
guard against torpedo attacks upon this ship. The shell passing over us fell 
very thickly about her, some passing over her. At this time the firing was 
very fast and the whistling of shell incessant, and our escape with so little 
injury was miraculous, and can only be attributed to bad marksmanship on 
the part of the enemy. The Maria Teresa, which had dropped astern while 
we were wearing, under the heavy firing of our fleet ran ashore. 

An Inspiring Sight. 

"The Vizcaya, Oquendo and Colon continued on and gaining in the 
distance. The Brooklyn was engaged with the three leading ships of the 
enemy, which was forging ahead, the Texas, Iowa and Indiana keeping up a 
heavy fire, but steadily dropping astern. The Oregon was keeping up a 
steady fire and was coming up in the most glorious and gallant style, out- 
stripping all others. 

" It was an inspiring sight to see this battleship, with a large white wave 
before her and her smokestacks belching forth continued puffs from her forced 



152 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



draft. We were making fourteen knots at the time and the Oregon came up 
off our starboard quarter, at about 600 yards, and maintained her position, 
though we soon after increased our speed to fifteen knots, and, just before the 
Colon surrendered, were making nearly sixteen. 

" The Oquendo, soon after falling out of the Teresa, dropped astern, and, 
on fire, ran ashore. The Vizcaya and Colon continued on, under fire from the 
Brooklyn and Oregon. The other vessels of our fleet were well astern and 
out of range. The Texas was evidently coming up fast. At about 10.53 
a.m. the Vizcaya was seen to be on fire, and the Colon passed inside of her 
with increased speed, took the lead and gradually forged ahead. 

" The Vizcaya soon after ran on the beach, ablaze with fire. 

" We signalled the Oregon to cease firing on the Vizcaya, as her flag was 
down. Firing immediately ceased, and we both continued the chase of the 
Colon, now about 12,000 yards away. The ranges ran from 1500 to 3000 
yards with the Vizcaya, as she kept in and out from the coast. We steered 
straight for a distant point near Cape Cruz, while the Colon kept close to the 
land, running into all the bights. She could not have come out without 
crossing our bows, and we were steadily gaining on her. We were getting 
more steam all the time, and now had four and one-half boilers on and the 
remaining one and one-half nearly ready. 



" After running for about fifty miles west from the entrance the Colon 
ran into a bight of land, beached, fired a gun to leeward and hauled down 
her flag. The Oregon and Brooklyn has just previously begun to fire 
upon the Colon, and were landing shell close to her. I was sent on 
board by Commodore Schley to receive the surrender. The Captain spoke 
English and received me pleasantly, though naturally much depressed. 

" He surrendered unconditionally. He was polite, shook hands and said 
that his case was hopeless, and that he saw that we were too much for him. 
I was on board about fifteen minutes. As we came from the Colon the flag- 
ship New York came in with the Texas. I reported on board the flagship to 
Rear Admiral Sampson. I stated to him that I believed the Colon could be 
gotten off the beach. 

" During the entire action I was in constant communication with you, so 
that I was enabled to promptly execute your orders and instructions. 



Received the Colon's Surrender. 





153 



154 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



Captain Cook commended the work of the officers and men and con- 
cluded with a reference to the death of Chief Yeoman George H. Ellis, who 
was killed by a passing shell, while assisting in taking ranges on the bridge. 

Ericsson Under Fire. 

Lieutenant Usher's official report of the movements of the torpedo boat 
Ericsson is given as follows : 

" In obedience to Article 437, page 98, United States Naval Regulations, 
1896, I respectfully report that on the morning of July 3rd, 1898, the United 
States torpedo boat Ericsson was proceeding under half speed on the star- 
board quarter of the United States flagship New York towards Siboney, 
when the enemy was sighted coming out of Santiago entrance, we being 
then five or six miles to the eastward of Morro. The vessels of the fleet 
were firing on the enemy. The helm was put hard aport at once and full 
power on as speedily as possible, and the course directed towards the ene- 
my's ships, the crew at quarters and the vessel in all respects ready to deliver 
torpedo attack. 

" By the time we had turned to the westward two of the enemy's vessels 
were out of plain sight. They were followed at short intervals by the other 
two cruisers, and then, after a longer interval, by the two torpedo-boat de- 
stroyers. The fire of the shore batteries supported the enemy's fleet, and the 
fire of both fleets was rapid and continuous. The flagship New York had 
hoisted signal 260: 'Close in towards harbor entrance and attack vessels.' 
The Ericsson proceeded as fast as possible, the steam pressure and speed 
gradually increasing. 

" The shore batteries at entrance to Santiago were directing their fire on 
the Gloucester at this time, which was hotly engaged with the two torpedo-boat 
destroyers. At full speed we drew near the entrance, and as we passed 
and afterwards the fire of the shore batteries was directed on us. Several 
shells struck near us, short or beyond, and two burst overhead and near. 
The Ericsson was not struck. The Brooklyn, Texas, Oregon, Iowa and 
Indiana were closely engaged with the Colon, Vizcaya, Oquendo and Maria 
Teresa. 

" The firing was furious. As we drew near the two torpedo-boat 
destroyers were seen to strike to the Gloucester and the Maria Teresa and 
Oquendo to run ashore, strike their colors and display white flags. They 
were both on fire, and clouds of steam arising from their hatches and ports. 
The Indiana remained near them, the Iowa directed her fire on the Vizcaya 
and the Oregon joined in the chase of the Colon. The course of the Ericsson 
was directed towards the Vizcaya, prepared to deliver torpedo attack, but 



STORY OF CERVERAS DEFEAT. 



155 



before we could arrive within striking distance the Vizcaya was seen to strike 
to the Iowa, run ashore and burst into flames, her engines being left running 
and clouds of steam issuing from all her openings on deck and in her sides. 
The course of the Ericsson was then set for the Colon, which was running 
very fast to the westward, pursued by the Brooklyn, Texas and Oregon." 

Lieutenant Usher concludes with describing the rescue of men from the 
burning Spanish vessels. 

Joseph Wright Graeme, a cadet on board " Fighting Bob " Evans' battle- 
ship, the Iowa, who was in charge of the forward port turret, sent to his 
father, at Wilkesbarre, Pa., a story of the destruction of Admiral Cervera's 
fleet. He describes the sounding of the alarm at the appearance of the first 
Spanish ship, and says that the guns were manned instantly, continuing : 

" A splendid, big, dark-colored cruiser, flying a very large Spanish flag, 
was coming out past Morro at full speed. I jumped to my turret and saw 
everything ready in a hurry. The Spanish ships came out in the following 
order, as we afterward learned from the Vizcaya's officers : Infanta Maria 
Teresa (flagship), Vizcaya, Cristobal Colon, Oquendo, and the torpedo-boat 
destroyers Pluton and Furor. The Iowa was headed in toward Morro at 
about six thousand yards' distance. 

Narrow Escape From a Big Shell. 

" When the first ship came out she fired an eleven-inch shell at us which 
passed just over the bridges from the bow to the starboard quarter and struck 
the water near the quarterdeck. If it had struck us the effect would have 
been terrific, as it was a raking shot. The enemy fired a great deal of shrap- 
nel at us, and the whistling of the rifle balls as the shells burst could be heard 
plainly. 

" The two destroyers followed the Oquendo out, and they met with a 
warm reception, I can tell you. We were only 2000 yards from the ships, 
and even closer to the destroyers. One of the twelve-inch shells struck the 
Pluton on the port quarter, and her after part at once blew up, a cloud of 
steam and splinters going in the air. Just previous to this, both boats turned 
as if to re-enter the harbor, but their fates were sealed. The Pluton drifted 
helpless on the beach, a flaming mass, and the Furor was riddled by six- 
pounders and by shots from the Gloucester, which ran toward them, firing 
with great rapidity. 

" The Oregon and Brooklyn kept up a hot fire at the two fleeing Span- 
iards, and the Texas fired an occasional long-range shot. We were too far 
astern to fire at them, but we began to gain slowly on the Vizcaya. Our first 
action lasted fifty-four minutes, and it seemed we were to have another taste 



156 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



of battle, so the men were sent to their guns again. However, it was not to 
be, for the Vizcaya put her helm a-port and headed in for the beach in a sink- 
ing condition. She was also on fire. Two heavy shells had hit us on the 
starboard bow forward of the armor. The watertight doors had all been 
closed at the beginning of the action, so the leak was not serious. We let 
the ships chase the Colon and we turned in toward the Vizcaya. We left our 
guns, and the word, ' Out all boats ! ' was passed. 

Hard to Keep the Men From Cheering. 

" While we were thus employed, the New York came astern. The men 
felt so happy it was almost impossible to keep them quiet. They yelled and 
shouted in hysterical glee. They had licked the Dons ; it seemed too good 
to be true. The bugler sounded 6 Silence ! ' and the men crowded to star- 
board side and waited for the flagship to pass. When the New York passed 
us Captain Evans sang out, ' Three cheers for the Admiral ! ' 

" I never heard three such cheers in my life. The very heavens echoed 
the inspiring shouts. The New York's men manned the rail and returned 
the salute. 

" We now continued hoisting our boats, and a cutter and a whaleboat 
soon got away. I slid down a rope to the steam launch, and was soon off for 
the Vizcaya, towing a cutter. We were about three miles from the wreck. 
She lay with her bow about northeast, just touching bottom, for only a foot 
of her boot topping showed above water. She was burning fiercely inside the 
superstructure, and the after ports were red with flames. While we were near, 
the mainmast fell with a crash, the large military top falling across the after 
I i-inch barbette. The guns were popping as the fire reached them, the shells 
whistling over our heads, and by the sharp crack or sullen boom I judged we 
had a sample shot from every piece of ordnance in the ship. 

" Every minute or so the fire would reach a box of rapid-fire ammuni- 
tion, and an explosion very much like a 'flower pot' would occur, thin, 
feathery trails of smoke shooting far heavenward in a dozen different direc- 
tions. While we were some distance off even from the Iowa, one could see 
the men going down the side on ropes, and swimming ashore in little 
groups. Our first boats took men right from the ship's side, while some hung 
on to ropes and refused to let go, fearing they would drown. 

" Several had to be pulled away by main force. We had three boats at 
work when I got there, and the United States yacht Hist had two small skiffs 
employed in the rescue. I headed for the bow, but could see no one on 
board. Anyway, it was at this time too hot for a human being to live aboard 
of her. The ship was a crackling mass of flame. I saw a great gaping shot 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



157 



hole in the forward barbette, and a good many shreds of clothing about the 
bridge and forecastle. 

" The paint, dark green, was beginning to peel off the ship, and showed 
a dirty yellow side, the color of the hot steel. It was sad, indeed, to look at 
a fine ship in her death throes, but I did not stop an instant, as there was 
much to be done. On a reef between the Vizcaya and the beach were a 
dozen or so of naked men up to their waists in water. As I was afraid of 
going ashore in the launch, I cast off Hepburn's cutter and left him to pick 
those up, while I went on towards others to the westward." 

" There were men swimming, some with and some without life-preservers, 
men clinging to wreckage singly and in groups, and nearly all were yelling 
for me to come to them. We went along from one man to another and cast 
lines to them, hauling them on board. Many were nearly exhausted when 
we reached them. They were all as naked as the day they were born. 

" After a long steam back we arrived at the ship. We hoisted the dead 
aboard and laid them aft, covered with the Spanish flag. One of the wounded 
died soon after he got aboard. He was from one of the other boats ; so there 
were five dead under the flag. The rescued men were fitted out with canvas 
suits as soon as possible, and we gave the officers some of our blouses, etc., 
to help out. 

" Some of the officers got off in a boat, which came over to the ship. 
The Captain (Eulate), however, was picked up by our first cutter. As he 
neared our gangway he looked back at his burning ship, once so proud and 
strong, and now a wreck, and, taking ofT his cap, he waved it sadly towards 
the ship in a last salute, murmuring: — 'Ah! Vizcaya, Vizcaya,' with great 
feeling. He was wounded in the head, and had a large bandage over his 
forehead. He came up to the side, and as his foot touched the deck he doffed 
his cap and mutely offered his sword to Captain Evans. The Captain said : 
4 No, I cannot take it from such a brave man,' and he was taken to the cabin 
and treated with the greatest consideration." 

Ensign Powell's Narrative. 

Ensign Joseph Powell, who won promotion in his effort to rescue Hob- 
son and his men, thus described the battle of July 3d : 

" Flagship New York, the day of the battle. What a day's work ! And 
only one American killed and two wounded ! We had from one ship nearly 
400 prisoners, and 200 from another ; how many were taken from the other 
two we did not know. The majority of the Spanish crews from three of the 
cruisers and two destroyers were killed. What a Sunday this has been ! Sun- 
day fights always go our way, and this one beats the record. 



158 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



" And it was all so unexpected. We on the New York were only on- 
lookers, I'm sorry to say, though we probably received more fire than any 
other ship, thanks to our friends, the forts. The day started with breakfast at 
8 — of biscuits made without flour, I guess; we thought they were made of 
white lead. 

" After breakfast I had the extreme pleasure of putting on a complete 
; outfit of clean clothes, and it was a luxury. I hardly knew myself in a pair 
of starched white trousers and a clean white blouse. 

" We were about five miles from Morro when lo ! a puff of smoke from 
the mouth of the harbor, and some one yelled : ' The ships are coming out ! ' 

" I had reached the quarter-deck when this news was called out, and 
after watching the fire for a minute, I jumped below to get my glasses and 
started forward to my station. The men were running around everywhere, 
singing and laughing, and though the call to general quarters had not been 
given, every one was at his station. I never saw such a crowd. They were 

crazy to get at the ' Dagoes.' One man shouted : ' We'll kill every of 

them ! Where's my dirty clothes ? ' 

" And that was the universal cry — for a fight to death. All hands took 
off their clean Sunday clothes and put on their dirty habiliments. After see- 
ing that everything was all right at my gun, I went below, took off my own 
finery, put on my fighting suit, and was ready for business. 

" I must admit that for once I caught the spirit of the occasion, and was 
as crazy for a scrap as any of them, though I am free to admit that ordinarily 
I don't like shells whistling around my ears. 

Wainwriglit's Nerve. 

" All this time the battleships were pouring in shot after shot, while the 
four Spanish cruisers, who turned away from us to the westward and were 
straining along the coast, were quite enveloped in their smoke. We could 
see shells splashing the water in all directions — a sight that is worth going to 
war to see. 

" The two parallel lines of the vessels moved up the coast, but we moved 
faster astern of them and gained somewhat. The Spanish vessels soon turned 
a point and we lost sight of them. Then there was more smoke at the mouth 
of the harbor, and we knew that more vessels were coming out, and in a 
minute we saw, first one, then a second torpedo-boat destroyer appear, and 
head up after the other ships. 

"They had nearly a clear chance to run, as all the vessels had passed to 
the westward, except one, the little Gloucester, commanded by Lieutenant- 
Commander Wainwright, a boat not as big as either of the destroyers, a con- 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



159 



verted yacht, with only six 6-pounders on a side — not as much of a battery as 
that of either of the destroyers. 

" Bat that didn't phase Dick Wainwright. He sailed in and gave those 
boats fits, first one and then the other, and when we were about off Morro, 
and three miles eastward of the three vessels, a shot struck something explo- 
sive on one of the destroyers, there was a puff of smoke, followed by a cloud 
of white, and the vessel turned and made for shore. 

" The Gloucester then turned her attention to the other destroyer, which 
turned and started back for Morro, but we were there, and my forward 4-inch 
gun was ordered to open fire on it. Seeger, the gun captain, hit that fellow 
the first shot, nailed a boiler, and the boat never moved again. The gun aft 
of ours also hit her, and then both guns fired one more shot. Then they 
stopped, as she was done for. 

" The Gloucester had a boat in the water when we came by, and we did 
not stop at all, as both torpedo-boats were clearly done for, and the Glouces- 
ter was quite able to pick up the remnant of their crews and look out for the 
vessels, and we tore down the coast. Some of our vessels were still visible 
around the point and were hot at it. All the time we were crossing the mouth 
of the harbor we were having a serenade from the batteries. About a dozen 
mortars that had never fired on us in any of our bombardments sprang into 
life and played a merry tattoo. 

Burning Ships on the Beach. 

" Soon after we left the Gloucester we passed out of range of these shore 
guns and were all busily watching a dense mass of smoke rising from behind 
the point. Ten minutes later we could make out the military tops of one of 
the cruisers, and a minute or two later could see the ship itself, high up on 
the beach — and also burning ! And then we saw that there was another ves- 
sel there, and, sure enough, further up, also on the beach, and also afire, was 
another, exactly like the first. The two were the Infanta Maria Teresa and 
the Oquendo. We could see men in crowds on their forecastles, the fire being 
all aft. 

" But, as it proved, the two ships were safe enough, and on we chased 
after the two still ahead, with the Indiana, Iowa, Texas, Oregon and Brooklyn 
before us, in that order, Indiana being nearest to us. One Spanish ship, which 
proved to be the Vizcaya, was hopelessly headed off and taking the fire of 
two or three of our vessels, while we cut off all chance of her escape. She, 
too, was afire, and after running a mile or two more she headed for the shore, 
full tilt, and ran aground when we were two miles away, right off a Cuban 
town, where there were 1500 Cuban troops. 



160 



STORY OF CERVERA'S DEFEAT. 



" We, with never a stop, went on after the Cristobal Colon, which was 
hull down below the horizon, with the Brooklyn, Oregon and Texas and the 
little yacht Vixen hot after her. She was the only one that got through our line. 

" We saw one nice little example of Cuban bravery there. Those sweet, 
kind, considerate, gentle, abused Cuban soldiers, whom we are fighting for, 
were on the beach, shooting every Spaniard that came within range, so that 
swimmers and boats had to turn back to the ship. And that ship blew up 
early ! We saw a dozen small explosions, and finally one big one that tore 
the after part of the ship to bits. 

" We were sure that we could catch the Cristobal Colon, as the Oregon 
and Brooklyn could head her off. About two o'clock we saw the Colon give 
up and head for shore. 

Getting Off the Prisoners. 

" We were there almost as soon as the Oregon and Brooklyn. All our 
boats went for prisoners, and then the Resolute, an ammunition supply boat, 
came up from behind and all the prisoners were sent to her except the captain 
of the Colon and second admiral of the Spanish fleet, who came to us. It 
was a big job getting them off, and I wish we had done something to them. 
They broke valves in their ship that let in the water, so that she gradually 
filled, and now she is sunk on the bottom. 

" It was awful to see that beautiful big ship settle hour after hour. After 
the Spanish and second admiral came on board the New York, I went over in 
a boat to get their belongings. I found a gang from the Oregon loading the 
prisoners in order to send them to the Resolute. 

" I went all through the ship and got a couple of bayonets for souvenirs. 
When I had a load of the captain's clothes I came back here and it was dinner 
time. I then had hopes that they would stop the leaks and float the Colon off. 

" All our boats were hustled over to get everybody off. I took over a 
sailing launch. I saw she couldn't stay up long and took the opportunity to 
get a few more souvenirs — a piece of shell that burst on board, three rifles, 
etc. Then I loafed around for an hour. 

" Both the Colon's anchors were let go and the New York pushed her 
on shore, where she sank again until her upper deck was three feet out of the 
water and her bow, when I left, still afloat. She just went down a little at a 
time until she rested on the bottom. It was 10.30 when I finally got back to 
the ship and started my good-night." 




REAR ADM. GEO. DEWEY, 

THE HERO OF MANILA. 

* — i— ' - . . . ... 7 

COPYRIGHT, 1898, 9Y KURZ 4 ALLISON 



COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY SEE 4 EPLER, 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL F. V. GREENE 

Commander of Brigade at the Capture of Manila 



BR9G. -GENERAL WM. LUDLOW BRIG GENERAL D. W. FLAGLER 

OF THE ENGINEERS' CORPS CHIEF OF ORDNANCE 




BRIG. -GENERAL T. H. STANTON BR I G. -GEN ERA L GUIDO N. LIEBER 

PAYMASTER-GENERAL JUDGE ADVOCATE-GENERmL 




BRIG. -GENERAL JOHN A. WILEY MAJOR-GEN. HENRY C. CORBIN 

BRIGADE COMMANDER AT SANTIAGO ADJUTANT-GENERAL 



MAJOR-GENERAL WESLEY MERRITT 



PHILADELPHIA'S MAGNIFICENT PEACE JUBILEE 

Grand Military Precession Marching Through the Beautiful Court of Honor 



MARSHAL RAMON BLANCO 

Spanish Captain-General of Cuba 




AMERICAN PEACE COMMISSIONERS 




MAJOR-GENERAL MATTHEW C. BUTLER 

formerly a confederate general and united states senator 
Member of the Cuban Evacuation Commission 



CHAPTER IX. 



General Wheeler Describes the Advance of the American 

Army on Santiago. 

ITH the utter destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet vanished the 
last hope of the Spanish forces in Santiago, around which the 
American troops had been swiftly thrown. The lines of invest- 
ment were practically complete when the fleet was destroyed and 
the victories at Baiquiri, La Quasini or Siboney, El Caney and San Juan were 
but preliminary to an assault upon the town itself. 

On July 3rd, the very day the fleet was destroyed, General Shafter, in 
command of the American troops, demanded the surrender of Santiago, and 
on July 14th General Toral, the Spanish commander, General Linares being 
wounded, surrendered the city and province of Santiago, together with all 
his forces. 

The military campaign had been brief, but had been prolific of sanguinary 
encounters and deeds of unparalleled heroism. On June 14th, less than a 
fortnight after Hobson's daring feat had corked up Cervera's fleet in the bottle 
formed by Santiago harbor, the Fifth Army Corps of 16,000 men, commanded 
by Brigadier General Shafter, sailed from Tampa, Florida, in twenty-nine 
transports, arriving off Santiago on June 20th. 

There is a commodious bay, Guantanamo by name, on the southern 
coast of Cuba and some fifty miles east of Santiago Bay. A good strategical 
point it looked ; and, in the event of a storm, a safe retreat for such of our 
ships as might be spared from the Santiago blockading station. 

Again, in the deep and clear harbor of Baiquiri, twelve miles east of 
Guantanamo, a well-built iron pier, the property of an American mining com- 
pany, had been noticed, projecting some 500 feet into the sea. From available 
indications little resistance was likely to be offered us at that point, and our 
Cuban allies were close at hand to give us assistance. 

Meanwhile, awaiting the arrival of our army of invasion, each busy hour 
was improved in endeavors to pave its way. 

The forts at the mouth of Santiago harbor were bombarded for three 
hours on June 6th and again on the 10th ; the Marblehead reduced the anti- 
quated forts of Guantanamo on the 7th; 600 marines under Lieutenant- 
Colonel R. W. Huntington, were landed on the eastern side of Guantanamo 
harbor on the 10th. raised the Stars and Stripes on the old Spanish flagstaff 



162 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 




of the place and subsequently repelled a force of 1500 Spaniards, which en- 
deavored to drive them back. 

On the 14th the first aggressive movement against the Spanish guerrillas 
was made by Lieutenant-Colonel Huntington's and Captain Elliott's marines 
with the co-operation of the Cubans, under Colonel Laborde, when the 
Spaniards were driven with great loss from a camp five miles from Guanta- 
namo, which contained the only well of water for several miles around, and 
on the night following this gallant exploit, the Vesuvius gave the first illus- 
tration of her terrific power 
as a destroyer by firing 
three shells from her dyna- 
mite guns on a fort at the 
western entrance of Santi- 
ago. " Earthquakes," the 
Spaniards called the pro- 
jectiles which came with- 
>> A out noise or other warning. 

\ A pathetic scene was 
jfijjH witnessed on the 21st, 
jjjfc when General Shafterwith 
HB his staff, and Admiral 
Iljjfi Sampson, with his chief of 
lllg staff, met the Cuban Gene- 
Hp ral Garcia for a first con- 
m ference on a little point of 
P land twelve miles west of 
Santiago. 

On the 22d, while the 
New Orleans, Detroit, Cas- 
tine, Wasp and Suwanee 
while a feint of landing was made at Cabanas, 
west of Santiago, while the Cubans engaged the attention of the enemy to 
the westward and the Texas bombarded the western batteries, 6000 troops 
were safely landed at Baiquiri, the remainder of the force following within 
the next two days. Never had the United States sent out so large an expe- 
dition ; and for the first time also, in our history our regular army was enter- 
ing upon a campaign in which it was numerically stronger than the volunteer 
force, the latter being represented only by the Seventy-first New York Regi- 
ment, the Second Massachusetts and a portion of the First Volunteer Cavalry 
(Roosevelt's Rough Riders). 




GENERAL WILLIAM R. SH AFTER, 
shelled the vicinity of Baiquiri 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



163 



Lieutenant George J. Godfrey, Twenty-second infantry, who had the dis- 
tinction of being the first member of General Shafter's invading army to set 
foot on Cuban soil, was wounded in the head by a Mauser bullet, from the 
effects of which he recovered. 

In speaking of his exploit he said : " It was very unexpected on my part, 
being one of the fortunes of war that you can never account for. The Eighth 
infantry had been designated to make the first landing. The warships early 
in the morning began to shell the shore in the vicinity of Baiquiri. When 
the transports neared the shore each of the warships sent a launch to the 
transports to help in the landing of the troops. Each launch towed three 
boats. 

Bold Rush for the Shore. 

" Ensign Halligan, of the Brooklyn, was assigned to tow the boats with 
the men of Company A, Twenty-second infantry, of which I had command. 
Apparently simultaneously a whole flotilla of launches with boats full of our 
boys, eager to get ashore, left the transports for the beach. As our boats 
moved away from the transports several auxiliary cruisers and gunboats went 
in ahead of us to clear the way. When it became evideut that the Spaniards 
had been driven out the firing ceased, and we got the word to go in. Ensign 
Halligan crowded on a full head of steam, and the way we went sailing in 
there made the blood of the men, already stirred to action, just sizzle within 
them. 

" When we got within half a mile of the shore we noticed the launch 
towing the ordnance boats of the Eighth infantry, almost on a parallel line 
with us, several hundred feet east. 

" We cheered them on, but unconsciously a desire to reach the beach 
first, in spite of the orders to let the Eighth go in first, sprang up among our 
men. Ensign Halligan appreciated the situation, and put the launch to a test. 

" Then as pretty a race as ever was seen was soon in progress between 
the launches of the two regiments. At one time it looked as if the Eighth's 
launch would get there ahead of us, but slowly we forged ahead until with a 
mighty leap over the waves we came up alongside of the old pier at Baiquiri, 
jfifty feet or more in front of the Eighth's launch, which went to the opposite 
side of the pier. I ran along the gunwale of my boat, and, with the help of 
two sailors, was lifted upon the pier. Soon afterwards the rest of my men 
scrambled on the pier, and then the Eighth's boys landed. 

" As soon as Company A landed I got them in line and advanced with 
them to the hill, which commanded the beach on which the troops were 
landing. From this hill I was able to protect the troops while disembarking 
from the fire of any Spaniard on the hill opposite. 



164 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



" We saw no fighting until July 1st, when we got within sight of San- 
tiago. That morning the Eighth and Twenty-second infantry were ordered 
to advance on El Caney. Three hours after the commencement of the fight 
I was shot in the head and was picked up unconscious. At first some of my 
comrades thought that I was dead. I was taken back to the field hospital, 
where I recovered consciousness." 

On the very day of their landing our troops began the advance toward 
Santiago. The next day they met the enemy at Jaraqua, but the latter fled. 
On June 24th the first battle was fought at Siboney or La Quasina, and is to 
be credited to a party of 924 men of the Twenty-third United States Infantry, 
the First and Tenth United States Cavalry and the First Volunteer Cavalry, 
popularly known as Roosevelt's " Rough Riders." 

The Enemy Lying in Wait. 

On the densely wooded slope near La Quasina, the Spaniards had erected 
two block-houses flanked with intrenchments of stone and lumber; and there 
a force of 1500 men with two machine guns, presumably obtained from Cer- 
vera's fleet, awaited the coming of our troops as they toiled along the rough 
hill roads — mere gullies, at times almost impassable — on the morning of 
June 24th, 

Some said it was an ambush into which our men blindly fell; others 
lauded them for deliberately storming a stronghold, the terrible defences of 
which they were well aware of; in either case, nothing short of their unfalter- 
ing bravery could have withstood the storm of bullets which fell upon them 
from the front and sides on this desperate march. 

For almost two hours their invisible foe directed upon them a fire which 
should have decimated them at the hands of cooler headed marksmen, when 
at length a daredevil charge by Colonel Wood on the right and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Roosevelt on the left, turned the tide of the battle; the Spaniards 
turned and fled; for the first time in those two hours our troops were enabled 
to shoot at an enemy in sight; the position was carried. Sevilla was ours 
next day, but the victory had cost us sixteen lives. 

Now began the advance on Santiago proper and the encompassing of the 
city within an armed crescent which would leave its defenders no chance of 
escape save to the seaward; and there our squadron would see to them. 

One week was consumed in the landing and sending forward of the artil- 
lery, the construction of roads through the jungle, the building of bridges, 
the cutting off of the pipe line supplying Santiago with water, to the benefit 
of our toiling soldiers, and the establishment of telephonic connection between 
the front and headquarters and of cable communication with Washington. 




165 



166 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



Not any too soon was the latter completed either, for as early as July ist, 
fresh laurels had been won, and the glad tidings were immediately cabled 
home by General Shafter. 

A heavy engagement had been raging from 8 a. m. to sundown, he said. 
All the outworks on the march of our troops toward Santiago had been car- 
ried; the enemy had been driven from San Juan and El Caney, and the Stars 
and Stripes floated within three-quarters of a mile of Santiago. 

What the short telegram did not tell was the many deeds of heroism of 
that ali-day fight, from early morning until 4 o'clock, by which time 15 000 
American troops were thundering at the outer fortifications of Santiago de Cuba. 

The attack involved the whole line, but the broken nature of the country 
gave a tremendous advantage to the defenders and proportionately handi- 
capped the aggressors, preventing, as it did, co-operative tactics on the part 
of our divisions. 

Taking of El Caney. 

Two points in particular had to be occupied, El Caney, the possession of 
which would give us a hill whence we could bombard Santiago, of which it 
is a suburb, and San Juan, the occupation of which by our troops would cut 
off the city of Santiago from its sea fortress, the ubiquitous " Morro " to be 
found at the mouth of every Spanish bay; and at these points the two chief 
battles of that eventful day took place. 

To General Lawton's command was given the taking of El Caney; it 
included Chaffee's brigade, the Seventh, Twelfth and Seventeenth Infantry, 
who were to move from the east ; Colonel Miles' brigade, made up of the 
First, Fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry, from the south, and Ludlow's brigade, 
consisting of the Twenty-second Infantry and the Second Massachusetts, from 
the southwest. 

The first shot, fired by a battery of the First Artillery, under command of 
Captain Capron (whose son, Allyn K. Capron, was killed) fell in the centre of 
the town ; and as it was twenty minutes before the Spaniards got ready to make 
any response, the cavalry division moved forward on the main Santiago trail, 
headed by a light battery of the Second Artillery under Captain Grimes. 

Here began the hardships of the day. The movement of this battery 
was a heartbreaking task, owing to the mud in the valley and the steepness of 
the hill on the other side ; yet onward they bravely pushed, and it was not 
long ere the Spaniards in the little town of El Paso retreated under the mus- 
ketry fire of the cavalrymen, and Captain Grimes' battery, taking up a position 
there, began a rapid firing into Caney. 

Here, too, the response from the Spanish guns was delayed for awhile ; 
but when it did come, it came with unexpected accuracy, the shots being from 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



16? 



three and five-inch rapid-fire rifles evidently taken from Admiral Cervera's 
warships and mounted behind the fortifications. The enemy literally raked 
the hill on which El Paso stands and which meantime had been made the 
headquarters of General Sumner and the Cuban Generals Garcia, Castillo, 
Capote and Rabo. 

But neither their accurate gunnery nor the desperation with which they 
now endeavored to save their last stronghold near the city could check the 
stubborn advance of the American and Cuban forces; foot by foot the unwill- 
ing Spaniards were driven back; and evening found us in possession of their 
intrenchments at El Caney, although it must be said, not without heavy loss. 

Storming San Juan Heights. 

The storming of the San Juan heights, on the other hand, was one more 
laurel added to the wreath of the Rough Riders, the First, Third, Sixth, Ninth 
and Tenth (dismounted) Cavalry, and also the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry, 
who made a brilliant charge at the crucial moment. 

From early dawn their fierce assault was met by the Spaniards with a 
tenacity born of despair, and " hour after hour," eye-witnesses said, "the troops 
on both sides fought like mad men, like demons," the Americans pushing on 
with such "irresistible fury" as to be well along towards San Juan by noon. 
The fighting now became more terrific than ever, the assailing party succeed- 
ing at this time in uniting in a mighty rush which carried the Spaniards off 
their feet, and by 3 o'clock the gallant troops were able to send word to General 
Shafter that they were masters of the important position which he had given 
them a whole day to capture. 

A foreign correspondent (C. E. Hands, of the London Daily Mail), who 
wisnessed this " Balaclava of Cuba," as he termed it, described it as follows : 

" Suddenly, as we looked through our glasses at the long, steepish ascent 
crowned by the blockhouse upon which the artillery had opened fire in the 
morning, we saw a little black ant go scrambling quickly up this hill, and an 
inch or two behind him a ragged line of other little ants, and then another 
line of ants at another part of the hill, and then another, until it seemed as if 
somebody had dug a stick into a great ant's nest down in the valley, and all 
the ants were scrambling away up hill. Then the volley firing began ten times 
more furiously than before ; from the right beyond the top of the ridge burst 
upon the ants a terrific fire of shells ; from the blockhouse in front of them 
machine guns sounded their continuous rattle. 

" But the ants swept up the hill. They seemed to us to thin out as they 
went forward, but they still went forward. It was incredible, but it was grand. 
The boys were storming the hill. The military authorities were most sur- 



168 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



prised. They were not surprised at these splendid athletic daredevils of ours 
doing it. But that a military commander should have allowed a fortified and 
intrenched position to be assailed by an infantry charge up the side of a long 
exposed hill, swept by a terrible artillery fire, frightened them, not so much by 
its audacity, as by its terrible cost in human life. 

"As they neared the top the different lines came nearer together. One 
moment they went a little more slowly; then they nearly stopped; then they 
went on again faster than ever, and then all of us sitting there on the top of 
the battery cried with excitement, for the ants were scrambling all around the 
blockhouse on the ridge, and in a moment or two we saw them inside it. But 
then our hearts swelled up into our throats, for a fearful fire came from some- 
where beyond the blockhouse and from somewhere to the right of it and 
somewhere to the left of it. Then we saw the ants come scrambling down 
the hill again. They had taken a position which they had not the force to 
hold. But a moment or two, and up they scrambled again, more of them, and 
more quickly than before, and up the other face of the hill to the left went 
other lines, and the ridge was taken, and the blockhouse was ours, and the 
trenches were full of dead Spaniards." 

Kent's Story of the Three Days' Fight. 

Brigadier General J. Ford Kent's official report of the operations of the 
regiments under his command, during July 1st, 2d, and 3d, before Santiago, 
was as follows : 

" Headquarters First Division, Fifth Army Corps, in the Field, 
Fort San Juan, near Santiago de Cuba, July 7, 1898. 

" To the Assistant Adjutant General, Fifth Army Corps : 

"Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations 
of my command in the battle of July 1 : 

"On the afternoon of June 30, pursuant to orders given me verbally by 
the Corps Commander at his headquarters, I moved my Second and Third 
brigades (Pearson and Wikoff) forward about two miles, to a point on the 
Santiago road near corps headquarters. Here the troops bivouacked, the 
First brigade (Hawkins) remaining in its camp of the two preceding days, 
slightly in rear of corps headquarters. 

" On the following morning (July 1), at seven o'clock, I rode forward to 
the hill where Captain Grimes' battery Avas in position. I here met Lieu- 
tenant Colonel McClernand, Assistant Adjutant General, Fifth Corps, who 
pointed out to me a green hill in the distance, which was to be my objective 
on my left, and either he or Lieutenant Miley, of Major General Shafter's 
staff, gave me directions to keep my right on the main road leading to the 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



169 



city of Santiago. I had previously given the necessary orders for Hawkins' 
brigade to move early, to be followed in turn byWikoff and Pearson. Shortly 
after Grimes' battery opened fire I rode down to the stream, and there found 
General Hawkins at the head of his brigade, at a point about two hundred 
and fifty yards from the El Poso sugar house. Here I gave him his orders. 

u The enemy's artillery was not replying to Grimes' battery. I rode for- 
ward with Hawkins about one hundred and fifty yards, closely followed by 
the Sixth infantry, which was leading the First brigade. At this point I 
received instructions to allow the cavalry the right of way, but for some un- 
known reason they moved up very slowly, thus causing a delay in my advance 
of fully forty minutes. General Miley; of General Shafter's staff, was at this 
point and understood how the division was delayed, and repeated several times 
that he understood I was making all the progress possible. 

" General Hawkins went forward, and word came back in a few minutes 
that it would be possible to observe the enemy's position from the front. I 
immediately rode forward with my staff. The fire of the enemy's sharp- 
shooters was very distinctly felt at this time. I crossed the main ford of the 
San Juan River, joined General Hawkins and, with him, observed the enemy's 
position from a point some distance in advance of the ford. 

" General Hawkins deemed it possible to turn the enemy's right at Fort 
San Juan, but later, under the heavy fire, this was found impracticable for the 
First brigade, but was accomplished by the Third brigade coming up later on 
General Hawkins' left. Having completed the observation with my staff, I 
proceeded to join the head of my division, just coming under heavy fire. 
Approaching the First brigade I directed them to move alongside the cavalry, 
which was halted. We were already suffering losses caused by the balloon 
near by attracting fire and disclosing our position. 

Fire from Front, Flank and Rear. 

" The enemy's infantry fire, steadily increasing in intensity, now came, 
from all directions, not only from the front, and the dense tropical thickets 
on our flanks, but from sharpshooters thickly posted in trees in our rear, 
and from shrapnel, apparently aimed at the balloon. Lieutenant Colonel 
Derby, of General Shafter's staff, met me about this time, and informed me 
that a trail or narrow way had been discovered from the balloon a short dis- 
tance back leading to the left of a ford lower down the stream. 

" I hastened to the forks made by this road, and soon after the Seventy- 
first New York regiment, of Hawkins' brigade, came up. I turned them into 
the bypath indicated by Lieutenant Colonel Derby, leading to the lower ford. 
send : ng word to General Hawkins of this movement This would have 




170 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



171 



speedily delivered them in their proper place on the left of their brigade, but 
under the galling fire of the enemy the leading battalion of this regiment was 
thrown into confusion, and recoiled in disorder on the troops in the rear. 

" At this critical moment the officers of my staff practically formed a 
cordon behind the panic-stricken men, and urged them to again go forward. 
I finally ordered them to lie down in the thicket, and clear the way for others 
of their own regiment, who were coming up behind. This many of them did^ 
and the Second and Third battalions came forward in better order and moved 
along the road toward the ford. 

" One of my staff officers ran back, waving his hat to hurry forward the 
Third brigade, who, upon approaching the forks, found the way blocked by 
men of the Seventy-first New York. There were other men of this regiment 
crouching in the bushes, many of whom were encouraged by the advance of 
the approaching column to arise and go forward. 

Delay Under a Galling Fire. 

" As already stated, I had received orders some time before to keep in 
rear of the cavalry division. Their advance was much delayed, resulting in 
frequent halts, presumably to drop their blanket rolls, and due to the natural 
delay in fording a stream. These delays, under such a hot fire, grew exceed, 
ingly irksome, and I therefore pushed the head of my division as quickly as I 
could toward the river in column of files or twos paralleled in the narrow way 
by the cavalry. 

" This quickened the forward movement and enabled me to get into posi- 
tion as speedily as possible for the attack. Owing to the congested condition 
of the road, the progress of the narrow column was, however, painfully slow. 
I again sent a staff officer at a gallop to urge forward the troops in the rear. 
The head of WikofVs brigade reached the forks at twenty minutes past twelve 
o'clock p. m. and hurried on the left, stepping over prostrate forms of men of 
the Seventy- first. 

(t This heroic brigade (consisting of the Thirteenth, Ninth and Twenty- 
fourth United States infantry) speedily crossed the stream and were quickly 
deployed to the left of the lower ford. While personally superintending this 
movement Colonel Wikofif was killed, the command of the brigade then de- 
volving upon Lieutenant Colonel Worth, Thirteenth infantry, who imme- 
diately fell, severely wounded, and then upon Lieutenant Colonel Liscum, 
Twenty-fourth infantry, who, five minutes later, also fell under the withering 
fire of the enemy. The command of the brigade then devolved upon Lieu- 
tenant Colonel E. P. Ewers, Ninth infantry. Meanwhile I had again sent a 
staff officer to hurry forward the Second brigade, which was bringing up the 



172 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



rear. The Tenth and Second infantry, soon arriving at the forks, were de- 
flected to the left to follow the Third brigade, while the Twenty-first was 
directed along the main road to support Hawkins. 

" Crossing the lower ford a few minutes later, the Tenth and Second 
moved forward in column in good order toward the green knoll already re- 
ferred to as my objective on the left. Approaching the knoll, the regiments 
deployed, passed over the knoll and ascended the high ridge beyond, driving 
back the enemy in the direction of his trenches. I observed this movement 
from the fort, San Juan Hill. 

" Colonel E. P. Pearson, Tenth infantry, commanding the Second brigade, 
and the officers and troops under his command deserve great credit for the 
soldierly manner in which this movement was executed. I earnestly recom- 
mend Colonel Pearson for promotion. 

Troops that Took San Juan Hill. 

" Prior to this advance of the Second Brigade, the Third, connecting 
with Hawkins' gallant troops on the right, had moved toward Fort San Juan, 
sweeping through a zone of most destructive fire, scaling a steep and difficult 
hill and assisting in capturing the enemy's strong position, Fort San Juan, at 
half-past one p. m. 

" This crest was about one hundred and twenty- five feet above the general 
level, and was defended by dee'p trenches and a loop-holed brick fort, sur- 
rounded by barbed wire entanglements. General Hawkins, some time after 
I reached the crest, reported that the Sixth and Seventeenth infantry had 
captured the hill, which I now consider incorrect, and credit is almost equally 
due the Sixth, Ninth, Thirteenth, Sixteenth and Twenty-fourth regiments of 
infantry. Owing to General Hawkins' representations, I forwarded the report 
sent to corps headquartes about three p. m. that the Sixth and Sixteenth infantry 
regiments had captured the hill. 

" The Thirteenth Jnfantry captured the enemy's colors waving over the 
fort, but unfortunately destroyed them, distributing the fragments among the 
men, because, as was asserted, ' it was a bad omen,' two or three men having 
been shot while assisting Private Arthur Agnew, Company K, Thirteenth 
Infantry, the captor. All fragments which could be recovered are submitted 
with this report. 

" The greatest credit is due to the officers of my command, whether com- 
pany, battalion, regiment or brigade commanders, who so admirably directed 
the formation of their troops, unavoidably intermixed in the dense thicket, 
and made the desperate rush for the distant and strongly defended crest. 

" I have already mentioned the circumstances of my Third Brigade's 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



173 



advance across the ford, where, in the brief space of ten minutes, it lost its 
brave commander (killed) and the next two ranking officers by disabling 
wounds. Yet, in spite of these confusing conditions, the formations were 
effected without hesitation, although under a stinging fire, companies acting 
singly in some circumstances and by battalion and regiments in others, rush- 
ing through the jungle across the stream, waist deep, and over the wide 
bottom, thickly set with thick barbed wire entanglements. 

" I desire to particularly mention First Lieutenant Wendell L. Simpson, 
Adjutant Ninth Infantry, Acting Assistant Adjutant- General Third Brigade, 
who was noticeably active and efficient in carrying out orders which I had 
given him to transmit to his brigade commander, who no longer existed. 

" The enemy having retired to a second line of rifle pits, I directed my 
line to hold their positions and intrench. At ten minutes past three p. m. I 
received almost simultaneously two requests, one from Colonel Wood, com- 
manding a cavalry brigade, and one from General Sumner, asking for assist- 
ance for the cavalry on my right, as they were hard pressed. I immediately 
sent to their aid the Thirteenth Infantry, who promptly went on this further 
mission despite the heavy losses they had already sustained. 

Personally Named For Heroism. 

" Great credit is due to the gallant officer and gentleman, Brigadier-Gen- 
eral H. S. Hawkins, who, placing himself between the two regiments, leading 
his brigade, the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry, urged and led them by voice 
and bugle calls to the attack so successfully accomplished. My earnest 
thanks are due to my staff officers present at my side and under my personal 
observation on the field, especially to Major A. C. Sharpe, Assistant Adju- 
tant-General ; Major Philip Reade, Inspector General ; Captain U. G. McAl- 
exander, Chief Quartermaster, and my aids, First Lieutenant George S. 
Cartright, Twenty-fourth Infantry; First Lieutenant William P. Jackson, 
Second Infantry ; also to Mr. Adelfo Carlos Munez, the latter a volunteer aid, 
subsequently wounded in the fight of the 2d inst., who richly merits a com- 
mission for his able assistance without pay. 

"The officers enumerated should at least be brevetted for gallantry 
under fire. I also personally noticed the conduct of First Lieutenant T. J. 
Fitzpatrick, Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A., on duty with the Twenty-fourth 
Infantry, giving most efficient aid to the wounded under fire. I observed 
several times First Lieutenant J. D. Miley, Fifth Artillery, aid to General 
Shafter, who was conspicuous throughout the day for his coolness under fire, 
delivering instructions with apparent unconcern. 

" The bloody fighting of my brave command cannot be adequately 



174 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



described in words. The list of killed, wounded and missing tells the story 
of their valor." 

General Kent reports 5 officers and 38 men killed in the First Brigade, 
I officer and 10 men killed in the Second Brigade, 12 officers and 77 men 
killed in the Third Brigade 13 officers and 224 men wounded and 49 men 
missing in the first Brigade, 10 officers and 62 men wounded in the Second 
Brigade, and 32 officers and 463 men wounded and 58 men missing in the 
Third Brigade. Continuing, General Kent says : 

" At daylight on the morning of July 2, the enemy resumed the battle 
and firing continued throughout the day, part of the time in a drenching rain. 
At nightfall the firing ceased, but at nine p. m. a vigorous assault was made 
all along our lines. This was completely repulsed, the enemy again retiring 
to his trenches. The following morning firing was resumed, and continued 
until near noon, when a white flag was displayed by the enemy and firing 
was ordered to cease." 

General Kent reports the casualties of July 1 in his division as nine men 
killed, four officers and ninety men wounded, and four men missing, and of 
July 2 one man killed and eight wounded. General Kent's report concludes : 

" I desire, in conclusion, to express my gratitude to Major-General 
Joseph Wheeler for his courteous conduct to me, and through me to my 
division under the trying circumstances enumerated. Though ill and suffer- 
ing, General Wheeler was so perfectly at home under fire that he inspired all 
of us with assurance. 




"Fighting Joe" Wheeler's Report. 

The following was the report of Major General Joseph Wheeler on the 
operations before Santiago de Cuba : 

"Before Santiago, Cuba, July 7, 1898. 
" To Adjutant General, Fifth Army Corps : 

Sir: — After the engagement of June 24th, I pushed forward my com- 
mand through the valley, Lawton's and Kent's commands occupying the hills 
in the vicinity of that place. After two days' rest Lawton was ordered for- 
ward, and on the night of the 30th instructions were given by Major General 
Shafter to that officer to attack Caney, while the cavalry division and Kent's 
division were ordered to move forward on the regular Santiago roads. The 
movement commenced on the morning of July 1st. The cavalry division 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



175 



advanced and formed its line with its left near the Santiago road, while Kent's 
division formed its line with the right joining the left of the cavalry division. 

" Colonel McClernand, of General Shafter's staff, direeted me to give in- 
structions to General Kent, which I complied with in person, at the same 
time personally directing General Sumner to move forward. The men were 
all compelled to wade the San Juan River to get into line. That was done 
under very heavy fire of both infantry and artillery. Our balloon having been 
sent up right by the main road, was made a mark of by the enemy. 

" It was evident that we were as much under fire in forming the line as 
we would be by an advance, and I therefore pressed the command forward 
from the covering under which it was formed. It emerged into open space 
in full view of the enemy, who occupied breastworks and batteries on the 
crest of the hill which overlooks Santiago, officers and men falling at every 
step. The troops advanced gallantly, soon reached the foot of the hill and 
ascended, driving the enemy from their works and occupying them on the 
crest of the hill. To accomplish that required courage and determination on 
the part of the officers and men of a high order, and the losses were very 
severe. 

Praise for Officers. 

" Too much credit cannot be given to General Sumner and General Kent 
and their gallant brigade commanders, Colonel Wood and Colonel Carroll, of 
the cavalry ; General Hamilton S. Hawkins, commanding first brigade, Kent's 
division, and Colonel Pearson, commanding Second brigade. Colonel Car- 
roll and Major Wessels were both wounded during the charge, but Major 
Wessels was enabled to return and resume command. General Wikoff, com- 
manding Kent's Third brigade, was killed at ten minutes past twelve o'clock. 
Lieutenant Colonel Worth took command and was wounded at a quarter 
past twelve o'clock. Lieutenant Colonel Liscum then took command and 
was wounded at twenty minutes past twelve o'clock, and the command then 
devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel Ewers, Ninth infantry. 

" Upon reaching the crest I ordered breastworks to be constructed, and 
sent to the rear for shovels, picks, spades and axes. The enemy's retreat 
from the ridge was precipitate, but our men were so thoroughly exhausted 
that it was impossible for them to follow. Their shoes were soaked with 
water by wading the San Juan River, they had become drenched with rain, 
and when they reached the crest they were absolutely unable to proceed fur- 
ther. Notwithstanding that condition, these exhausted men labored during 
the night to erect breastworks, furnish details to bury the dead and carry the 
wounded back in improvised litters. 

" I sent word along the line that reinforcements would soon reach us, 



176 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



that General Lawton would join our right and that General Bates would 
come up and strengthen our left. After reaching the Crest of the ndge. 
General Kent sent the Thirteenth regulars to assist in strengthening our 
right. At midnight General Bates reported, and I placed him in a strong 
position on the left of our line. General Lawton had attempted to join us 
from Caney, but when very near our lines he was fired upon by the Spaniards 
and turned back, but joined us next day at noon by a ciicuitous route. 




TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION ON THE BATTLEFIELD. 



During all the day on July 2d, the cavalry division, Kent's division and 
Bates' brigade were engaged with the enemy, being subjected to a fierce fire 
and incurring many casualties, and later in the day Lawton's division also 
became engaged. 




''Joseph Wheeler, Jr., Aide." " Major- General Volunteers. 

Accompanying the report is a copy of the despatches which were sent to 
General Shafter by General Wheeler, beginning June 25 and ending July 2. 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



177 



On July I, at twenty minutes past eight p.m., General Wheeler, writing from 
San Juan, has the following to say about withdrawing from the position we 
had won : — 

" I examined the line in front of Wood's brigade and gave the men 
shovels and picks and insisted on their going right to work. I also sent word 
to General Kent to come and get entrenching tools, and saw General Haw- 
kins in person and told him the same thing. They all promised to do their 
best, but say, the earth is very difficult, as a great part of it is rocky. The 
positions our men carried were very strong and the intrenchments were very 
strong. 

" A number of officers have appealed to me to have the line withdrawn 
and take up a strong position further back, and I expect they will appeal to 
you. I have positively discountenanced that, as it would cost us much pres- 
tige. The lines are very thin, as so many men have gone to the rear with 
wounded and so many are exhausted, but I hope these men can be got up to- 
night, and with our line intrenched and Lawton on our right we ought to 
hold to-morrow, but I fear it will be a severe day. If we can get through to- 
morrow all right, we can make our breastworks very strong the next night. 
You can hardly realize the exhausted condition of the troops. The Third and 
Sixth Cavalry and other troops were up marching and halted on the road all 
last night and have fought for twelve hours to-day, and those that are not on 
the line will be digging trenches to-night. 

" I was on the extreme front line. The men were lying down and re- 
ported the Spaniards not more than 300 yards in their front." 

Charged Instead of Retreated. - 

General Wheeler's assertion as to the desire of the men to fall back is 
borne out by the statement of Captain McGinnis, Company I, of the Rough 
Riders, of Oklahoma, who asserted that General Shafter gave an order for 
the American forces to retreat at Santiago. It was not carried out because 
countermanded by General Wheeler, in charge of the cavalry division. 

According to the story told by Captain McGinnis, he was standing near 
General Wheeler when an orderly from General Shafter brought to General 
Wheeler an order to retreat from the advance position the American forces 
then occupied. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt was with General Wheeler when he received 
the order. General Wheeler sent for General Bites and General Kent to 
come and confer with him about the order. 

"Can't you countermand the order?" Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt 
asked, according to McGinnis' story. 
12 



178 



THE ADVANCE ON SANTIAGO. 



" Yes," said General Wheeler; and he thereupon ordered a charge instead 
of a retreat. 

W. G. Thurman, of the Sixteenth Regiment, says the charge at San Juan 
Hill was the work of a bugler. 

Charged Without Orders. 

"When the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry had gained a point of 150 
yards from the foot of the hill, after a series of short rushes across the 
plain, they dropped to fire and load. They were flat on the ground awaiting 
the bugle call to make another rush. Suddenly the notes rang out. Instead 
of the short call ' forward !' which they expected, came the longer thrilling 
call of ' charge !' With a yell that would have done credit to the bronzed 
warriors of the West the soldiers sprang to their feet, and swept up the hill. 
With a rush they carried it, and on the top stood shooting down the fleeing 
Spaniards. 

" The commanding officer of the brigade, General Hawkins, was aston- 
ished at the charge and the bugle call which ordered it. After the hill had 
been gained General Hawkins started an investigation to discover who was 
the bugler. He had no success until he said he did not wish to punish the 
man, but to compliment him and get him a promotion, if possible. Then the 
man was pointed out by his willing companions. He was Bugler Schroeder, 
of the Sixth Infantry. He received the commendation of his chief modestly. 
The fact that Bugler Schroeder ordered the charge was not noised about, but 
the men in the brigade knew it, and it was common talk with them. He 
was a hero with them, for they considered his act the only thing to do. At 
each short rush more men were falling. As they neared the foot of the h'U 
the Spanish fire was getting more deadly and demoralizing. The order to 
charge would doubtless have come from the commander after a few more 
short rushes and rest, but Bugler Schroeder hastened matters." 



CHAPTER X. 



Account of the Battle of La Quasina by Colonels Wood and 

Roosevelt. 

ENERAL WHEELER'S official account of the first battle at San- 
tiago, officially known as the battle of Siboney, or La Quasina, was 
as follows : 

" In Camp, Jaragua, June 29. 
** To the Adjutant General of the Fifth Army Corps : 

" Sir — I have the honor to report that, in obedience to the instructions 
of the major general commanding, given me in person on June 23, I pro- 
ceeded to Siboney. The enemy had evacuated the place at daylight that 
morning, taking a course toward Sevilla. A body of about one hundred 
Cubans had followed and engaged the enemy's rear guard. About nine of 
them were wounded. 

" I rode out to the front and found the enemy had halted and established 
themselves at a point about three miles from Siboney. At night the Cubans 
returned to the vicinity of the town. At eight o'clock that evening, the 23d, 
General Young reached Siboney with eight troops of Colonel Wood's regi- 
ment, A, B, D, E, F, G, K and L, five hundred strong ; troops A, B, C and 
K, of the First regular cavalry, in all 244 men ; and troops A, B, E and I, of 
the Tenth cavalry, in all 220 men, making the total force, 964 men, which in- 
cluded nearly all of my command which had marched from Baiquiri, eleven 
miles. 

" With the assistance of General Castillo a rough map of the country was 
prepared and the position of the enemy was fully explained, and I determined 
to make an attack at daylight on the 24th. Colonel Wood's regiment was 
sent by General Young, accompanied by two of his staff officers, Lieutenants 
Tyrree, R. Rivers and W. R. Smedburg, Jr., to approach the enemy on the 
left hand, or more westerly road, while General Young, myself and about 
fifty troops of the First and Tenth cavalry, with three Hotchkiss mountain 
guns, approached the enemy on the regular Sevilla road. 

" General Young and myself examined the position of the enemy, the 
lines were deployed and I directed him to open fire with the Hotchkiss guns. 
The enemy replied and the firing immediately becam^ general. Colonel 
Wood had deployed his right, nearly reaching to the left of the regulars. For 
an hour the fight was very warm, the enemy being very lavish in expenditure 
of ammunition, most of their firing being by volleys. Finally the enemy gave 

179 



180 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



way and retreated rapidly, our side keeping well closed upon them ; but 
our men being physically exhausted by both their exertions and the great 
heat were incapable of maintaining the pursuit. 

" I cannot speak too highly of the gallant and excellent conduct of the 
officers and men throughout my command. General Young deserves special 
commendation for his cool, deliberate and skillful management. I also specially 
noticed his acting adjutant general, Lieutenant A. L. Mills, who under Gen- 
eral Young's direction, was at various parts of the line, acting with energy 
and cool courage. 

"The imperative necessity of disembarking with promptitude had im- 
pelled me to leave most of my staff to hasten this important matter, and 
unfortunately I only had with me Major W. D. Beach and Mr. Mestro, an 
acting volunteer aid, both of whom during the engagement creditably and 
bravely performed their duties. I am especially indebted to Major Beach for 
his cool and good judgment. 

Brave Rough Riders. 

" Colonel Wood's regiment was on the extreme left of the line and too 
far distant for me to be a personal witness of the individual conduct of the 
officers and men ; but the magnificent bravery shown by the regiment under 
the lead of Colonel Wood testifies to his courage and skill and the energy and 
determination of his officers,. which have been marked from the moment he 
reported to me at Tampa, Fla., and I have abundant evidence of his brave 
and good conduct on the field, and I recommend him for the consideration of 
the government. I must rely upon his report to do justice to his officers and 
men, but I desire personally to add that all I have said regarding Colonel 
Wood applies equally to Colonel Roosevelt. 

"I was immediately with the troops of the First and Tenth regular 
cavalry, dismounted, and I personally noticed their brave and good conduct, 
which will be specially mentioned by General Young. Major Bell, as he lay 
on the ground with a broken leg, said : — 

" ' I only regret I can't go on with you further/ 

" Captain Know, though severely wounded, continued as long as possible 
to exercise his command, and insisted to me that he was not much hurt, and 
Lieutenant Byram also made light of his wound to me and continued upon 
the line until he fainted. I recommend these officers for the favorable con 
sideration of the government. 

" I cannot state positively as to the size of the Spanish force which we 
engaged or to the extent of their casualties, further than that the force was 
much greater than ours, and that information I have would indicate that their 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



181 



killed and wounded very far exceed the loss which our troops sustained ; but 
our estimate on these points can only be verified when we have access to the 
reports of the Spanish commanders. The engagements inspirited our troops 
and must have had a bad effect upon the spirits of the wSpanish soldiers. It 
also gave our army the beautiful and well-watered country in which we have 
estabiished our encampments. It has also given us a full view of Santiago 
and the surrounding country, and has enabled us to reconnoitre close up to 
the fortifications of that place. 

" The casualties in the engagement were : First United States Volunteer 
cavalry — strength, 500 ; killed, 8 ; wounded, 34. First United States Regular 
cavalry — strength, 244 ; killed, 7 ; wounded, 8. Tenth United States Regu- 
lar cavalry — strength, 220: killed, 1, wounded, 10. Total strength, 964; 
killed, 16; wounded, 52. " Respectfully submitted, Joseph Wheeler, 

" Major-General United States Volunteers, commanding" 

Colonel Wood's Account. 

Colonel Wood's report of the Rough Riders' work in the battle of La 
Quasina, gives a graphic account of that engagement. It was as follows : 

" Camp First United States Volunteer Cavalry, six miles out Santiago, 
June 27, 1898. — Dear General : Thinking that a line about our fight and gen- 
eral condition would interest you, I take this opportunity to drop you a line. 
We are all getting along very comfortably thus far, and find the climate much 
better than we expected. Also the country, which, aside from being awfully 
rough and full of undergrowth, is rather picturesque and attractive. 

" We commenced our advance from our first landing place, on the 23d, 
and that night General Young and I, as second in command of the Second 
Cavalry Brigade, had a long war talk about taking the very strong Spanish 
position about five miles up the road to Santiago, He decided that he would 
make a feint on their front, and hold on hard, while I was to make a detour 
by trail under a couple of Cuban guides, and take them in flank, and try to 
get them out of their very strong position, which was in the wildest and 
roughest part of the trail toward the town. 

" Our little plan worked. I located the Spanish outpost and deployed 
silently, and when in position fired on them, Shortly after I opened I could 
hear Young on the right down in the valley. The fight lasted over two 
hours, and was very hot and at rather close range. The Spanish used the 
volley a great deal, while my men fired as individuals. We soon found that 
instead of 1 500 men we had struck a very heavy outpost of several thousand 
However, to cut a long story short, we drove them steadily, but slowly, and 
finally threw them into flight. 



182 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



" Their losses must have been heavy, for all reports coming out of Santi- 
ago report a great many dead and wounded, and that they — the Spanish — had 
4000 men and two machine guns (these we saw), and were under two general 
officers, and that the Spanish dead and wounded were being brought in for six 
hours ; also that the garrison was expecting an assault that night, that the 
defeated troops reported that they had fought the entire American army for 
four hours, but, compelled by greatly superior numbers, had retreated, and 
that the army was coming, etc. 

" My men conducted themselves splendidly, and behaved like veterans, 
going up against the heavy Spanish line as though they had the greatest con- 
tempt for them. Yours sincerely, Leonard Wood. 

"To General R. A. Alger, Secretary of War." 

Roosevelt Praises His Men. 

"There must have been nearly fifteen hundred Spaniards in front and to 
the sides of us," said Lieutenant- Colonel Roosevelt just after the fight. "They 
held the ridges with rifle pits and machine guns, and hid a body of men in 
ambush in the thick jungle at the sides of the road over which we were ad- 
vancing. Our advance guard struck the men in ambush and drove them out. 
But they lost Captain Capron, Lieutenant Thomas and about fifteen men killed 
or wounded. 

" The Spanish firing was. accurate, so accurate indeed that it surprised 
me, and their firing was fearfully heavy. I want to say a word for our own 
men," continued Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt. " Every officer and man did 
his duty up to the handle. Not a man flinched." 

From another officer who took a prominent part in the fighting, more 
details were obtained. "When the firing began," said he, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Roosevelt took the right wing with Troops G and K, under Captains Llewelyn 
and Jenkins, and moved to the support of Captain Capron, who was getting it 
hard. At the same time Colonel Wood and Major Brodie took the left wing 
and advanced in open order on the Spanish right wing. Major Brodie was 
wounded before the troops had advanced one hundred yards. Colonel Wood 
then took the right wing and shifted Colonel Roosevelt to the left 

"In the -neantime the fire of the Spaniards had increased in volume, but, 
notwithstanding this, an order for a general charge was given, and with a yell 
the men sprang forward. Colonel Roosevelt, in front of his men, snatched a 
rifle and ammunition belt from a wounded soldier, and cheering and yelling 
with his men, led the advance. In a moment the bullets were singing like a 
swarm of bees all around them, and every instant some poor fellow went 
down. On the right wing Captain McClintock had his leg broken by a bullet 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



183 



from a machine gun, while four of his men went down. At the same time 
Captain Luna, of Troop F, lost nine of his men. Then the reserves, Troops 
K and E, were ordered up. 

(i There was no more hesitation. Colonel Wood, with the right wing, 
charged straight at a block- house eight hundred yards away, and Colonel 
Roosevelt on the left, charged at the same time. Up the men went, yelling 
like fiends and never stopping to return the fire of the Spaniards, but keeping 
on with a grim determination to capture the block-house. 

" That charge was the end. When within five hundred yards of the 
coveted point the Spaniards broke and ran, and for the first time we had the 
pleasure, which the Spaniard had been experiencing all through the engage- 
ment of shooting with the enemy in sight. 

" When we took Baiquiri we found an unfinished letter in the house of 
the Spanish commandant. It was addressed to the Spanish commander at 
Santiago and read in part as follows : 

" ' I am well fortified and prepared to resist all the forces the American 
pigs can bring against us/ " 

Were Not Ambushed. 

Captain John R. Thomas, Jr., of Chicago, who had charge of Troop L, 
after Captain Capron was killed, is the son of Judge John R. Thomas, of the 
United States Court, Indian Territory. He told an interesting story of the 
fighting of the Rough Riders. 

" I am sorry," said he, "that I did not have a chance to see more of the 
fighting, but what I saw was of the warmest kind. On the 24th of June I 
was with Troop L, at La Quasina, under Captain Capron. We formed the 
advance guard, and went out on a narrow trail toward Siboney. 

" On the way we met some of the Twenty-second men, who told us that 
we were close to the enemy, as they had heard them at work during the 
night. Captain Capron, with six men, had gone on ahead of us, and had 
come across the body of a dead Cuban. Ten or fifteen minutes later Private 
Thomas Isbell, of Indian Territory, saw a Spaniard in the brush ahead of him 
and fired. 

" This was the first shot from our troop, and the Spaniard fell dead. 
Isbell himself was shot seven times that day, but managed to walk back to 
our field hospital, which was fully four miles in the rear. He was painfully 
but not dangerously wounded, and is now on the hospital ship City of Wash- 
ington, suffering from a badly injured thumb. 



184 



BATTLE OF LA QUAS1NA. 



" It has been said that we were ambushed, but that is not so. Poor Cap- 
tain Capron received his death wound early in the fight, and while he was 
lying on the ground dying he said, ■ Let me see it out ; I want to see it all.' 
He lived an hour and fifteen minutes after the bullet struck him, and up to 
the moment that he fell he had acted fearlessly, and had exposed himself all 
the time to the enemy's fire. 

" I was then next in command of the troop, and I noticed that some of 
our men lay too closely together as they were deploying. I went down the 
line ordering them to their proper distances, and as I passed along poor 
Hamilton Fish was lying, mortally wounded, a few feet from me. 

" When he heard my voice Fish raised himself on his elbow and said, ' I 
am wounded, I am wounded.' That was the last I saw of him in life. He 
was very brave, and was very popular among the men of the troop. 

" Sergeant ' Joe ' Kline, of Troop L, was wounded early that day, and 
was ordered to the rear with several other wounded men. On his way to the 
rear Kline discovered a Spanish sharpshooter in a tree and shot at him. The 
Spaniard fell dead, and Kline picked up a silver-mounted revolver which fell 
from the dead man's clothing, as a souvenir, which he highly prizes. 

Wore Stolen Uniforms. 

" Several of the Spanish sharpshooters had picked up cast-off clothing of 
^he American soldiers, and they wore these while they were at their deadly 
work. As soon as we discovered this orders were issued to all our men to 
avoid climbing into the trees, so that any person who was discovered in that 
position was picked off by our men, with the result that several of the Spanish 
sharpshooters died with American clothes on. 

" These sharpshooters seemed to take intense delight in shooting at 
wounded men as they were being brought to the rear in litters, and several 
of our poor wounded brothers ware killed outright by these marksmen. The 
Spaniards are pretty good fighters, but when our men charged on them they 
quit their trenches. Several members of our troop had Indian blood in their 
veins, but they were all brave fellows, and good fighters. 

" Sergeant Dillwin Bell, of our troop, who is a son of M. E. Bell, super- 
vising architect of the Treasury at Chicago, was badly injured from an explod- 
ing shell while on the firing line. He was ordered to the rear, but quickly 
came back again. He was ordered away a second time, but a few minutes 
later he was to the front again firing away. For a third time he was sent 
back, and once more he insisted on going to the front, and when the other 
men saw him they greeted him with rousing cheers, and he fought till the 
end of the day, although painfully wounded in the back. 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



185 



a There were many similar cases among our fellows, and none of them 
who could handle a gun relinquished their position until they fainted or had 
to be carried to the rear. Young Walter Sharp of Chicago was reported killed, 
but he is very much alive to-day. He was only missing for a short while. 

" I cannot speak too highly of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. He is every 
inch a fighter, and led a charge of dismounted cavalry against men in pits at 
San Juan successfully. It was a wonderful charge, and showed Roosevelt's 
grit. I was not there, but I have been told of it repeatedly by those who saw 
the colonel on the hill. 

" Colonel Leonard Wood, who is now brigadier general, walked up and 
down the firing line in the first fight in the most fearless manner, all the while 
giving commands to his men. He was absolutely fearless, and, though very 
much exposed, escaped without injury. After the first fight we found a num- 
ber of Spaniards on the field and in the chaparral, but they were all dead. 
Our men shot well and most of their bullets took effect. 

" While lying in the hospital I heard a young man named Hall, of Car- 
lisle, Pa., who belonged to the Twenty-second infantry, tell a story which will 
illustrate better than anything else the accuracy of the American shooters. 
He, with five other men, had crossed a bend in a road to get some water in 
their canteens. As they got into the open they were attacked by thirty-two 
Spanish cavalrymen, who cut them up badly with their sabres. Hall was the 
only man who was not killed. He was badly trampled by the horses, and 
had some sabre wounds on his body. 

" Later on Hall was picked up by some comrades, to whom he told his 
story. These men located the Spaniards who had done the work and opened 
fire on them. When they had ceased firing there were thirty live horses, two 
dead ones, and thirty-two dead Spaniards. This was pretty good shooting, 
wasn't it? " 

Captain Thomas was wounded in the first fight at La Quasina, when the 
fight had lasted but two hours. He was struck in the right leg with a Mauser 
bullet, and was unable to take an active part in the fighting after the first day. 
He said there was no reason to find fault with the treatment of the wounded, 
and that, considering everything, the wounded men were fairly well taken 
care of. 

Regulars at El Oaney. 

Lieutenant W. H. Wassell, of the Twenty-second Infantry, tells a thrill- 
ing story of the attack upon El Caney. He says : 

" On the night of June 30th we bivouacked on the crest of a hill a mile 
and a half from the village of El Caney. Directly east of us were the lights 
of Santiago, the Mecca of our bloody pilgrimage. 



186 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



" We had broken camp early in the afternoon. The march to the hill had 
been a short one, but we had been held up along the machete-cut trail to allow 
other troops to pass, and knee-deep creeks had made the men footsore. 

" Our principal meal for the day had consisted of tightening up our belts. 
Tired, wet and hungry, the men threw themselves on their blankets just off the 
roadside. We were not allowed to light fires. A piece of hardtack, a slice 
of bacon and a pull from the canteen — this was the last supper of many a 
poor soldier. But the meal was made with a brave spirit, and brave hearts 
there were within the men who gulped down the scant fare. 

" We were awakened before daylight on the morning of the 1st by troops 
passing along the road. Soon came the order for us to fall in, and in a few 
minutes we were on the march. 

" The Twenty-second United States Infantry formed the extreme left of a 
line that was to march through the village of El Caney. We had been told 
that we would encounter about five hundred Spaniards in the village — that we 
would have little or no opposition. 

" The original plan of battle seems to have been to have our right sweep 
the village of El Caney, and then, swinging to the left, get to Santiago on the 
north, while the main force attacked from the east, but this plan fell through 
when the Spaniards were found in force at El Caney, General Linares 
commanding the forces there in person. 

Cutting Through Undergrowth. 

" At about half-past six o'clock in the morning the Second battalion of 
the Twenty-second regiment was deployed near the road leading to Santiago 
and about two miles south of El Caney. We were then pushed due east for 
half a mile, over wire fences and through country overgrown with tough 
vines and Spanish bayonets. 

" Meeting no opposition in this direction, our march was changed to the 
right. It was impossible to keep the men in the extended order formation by 
squads. They cut their way through the undergrowth for a mile and a half. 
The easiest marching we had was when we pulled ourselves up the vertical 
banks of a twenty foot ravine. 

" At about nine o'clock we found ourselves within five hundred yards of 
El Caney. During the last hour we had been under a slight but persistent 
fire from the Spanish sharpshooters, a fire that we could not return on account 
of the impossibility of locating it. The greater part of it came from guerrillas 
concealed in tree tops, which easily concealed the slight puffs of smoke made 
by their Mausers. 

" During the morning we found a Spanish morning report showing that 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



187 



from one company twenty-five men were detailed as scouts and twenty- five as 
guerrillas. The latter, after being convinced that capture by Americans meant 
sure and sudden death, were given bags of ammunition and sent up trees and 
told to pick off American officers. 

" These guerrillas were all over the field — behind us, in front of us, to our 
right and to our left — and how well they did their work is shown by the num- 
ber of killed and wounded officers. Company officers on the firing lines and 
general officers manoeuvring their commands from the rear all suffered alike 
from guerrilla warfare. 



Caney we were greeted with a fusillade of 



■LL. 



" As we came in view of El 
shots, but, with a splendid 
disregard of death, the bat- 
talion officers calmly sur- 
veyed the field to locate our 
enemies — and this was a 
difficult task. 

" About five hundred 
yards north of us lay the 
village. We could see a 
few houses in a group, the 
largest banked with earth 
and loop-holed for rifle fire. 
Between the village and us 
was what had been a culti- 
vated field. Save for a few 
straggling bushes it gave 
a clear field for firing on us. NEW GATLING GUN READY FOR ACTION. 

" In the rear of the village was a large stone blockhouse, flying a Spanish 
flag. Our artillery soon demolished this. To the right of the village was a 
lone red building, with earthworks in front of it. To the right of this was an 
intrenched blockhouse. All around our part of the town was a small 
intrenchment, from which the Spaniards poured a deadly rain of bullets. 

" Had we had artillery to shell these fortifications our task would have 
been easy. As it was, we lay on the ground for two hours, officers working 
with might and main to locate the foe. 

" Our fire discipline was perfect. During all this time the men hugged 
the ground, while the bullets rained onto them and over them. Such was the 
condition of the battle field that we were afraid to fire, fearing to hit our own 
men. 

" It was a trying time. Several officers and a number of men had been 




188 



BATTLE OF LA QUASI N A, 



struck. Men lost from their commands joined us. Once we heard a good 
old American cheer come from right in front of us. 

" Men and officers were exhausted from short rations, hard marching and 
the Cuban sun. Our left was wholly unsupported. We were only a thin 
skirmish line, almost touching the enemy, but knowing the location of neither 
friend nor foe. And so for hours manoeuvred our lines to find the Spanish 
position. 

" About noon we succeeded in doing this. In an ordinary battle on 
ordinary ground we would have entered the engagement with all the informa- 
tion that to gain here took two hours under a fire of hitherto unknown fero- 
city — a fire that cost us our colonel killed, our lieutenant colonel and one 
lieutenant wounded. The loss among the men had been equally severe. 

Americans' Turn at Last. 

"Shortly after noon we had the Spanish works in our immediate front 
well located, and, after a few changes of position, it came our turn to hurl 
every one of our hundred cartridges per man at a living Spanish target. Part 
of our line was stretched across the cultivated field, the other part, at right 
angles, occupying the commanding crest of a hill. 

" Our first fire acted like magic on the men. For two hours they had 
been inanimate targets, now it was their turn. We could see forces that out- 
numbered us. Not till later in the fight did we discover what greatly superior 
numbers on the left we had to contend against. 

" Our first shots were directed against the blockhouses, the fortified 
houses and the entrenchments. It was infantry in the open against infantry 
under cover, and it must go down to the credit of the American soldier — the 
private soldier — that we lay on open ground, and, by a fire that was as coolly 
directed and as well aimed as though on the target ground, we kept the Span- 
ish heads below their entrenchments. 

" Every art known to warfare was used by the Spaniards in the location 
of their intrenchmentsT Apache, Sioux, Cheyenne could not teach them craft 
in this bush warfare. 

" As we had only one hundred cartridges per man and as our position 
was greatly exposed it was a matter of primary importance that no shots 
should be wasted, and so officers lay on the firing line as far to the front as 
any man of their companies. With their field glasses the officers kept a con- 
stant watch on every visible part of the Spanish works. 

" All at once an officer's head would pop up from behind the enemy's 
works. Ten seconds later the intrenchments would be alive with heads and 
pointed Mausers. One-tenth of a second later our company officers would 



BATTLE OF LA QUASINA. 



189 



caution our men, and then it was a question as to who should get in the first 
fire. 

" With a crash our fire was delivered. A moment later came the 'ping' 
of the Spanish bullets. We are Americans, and we gave the prey long odds 
behind their breastworks. 

"We were the well-trained pack of hounds in Montana. The Spaniard 
was the coyote. On ground he would stand no chance. In his protected 
coulies the odds were in his favor, but still we would run him till one of us 
dropped. 

" The long red house gave us the greatest trouble, but through all the 
hot afternoon it was give and take. That night a wounded Spanish prisoner 
stated that of four hundred men in the building and trenches at noon only 
two were without wounds at the close of the fight. So much for American 
marksmanship. 

" More than marksmanship — it was grit that took the dose of Spanish 
bullets and without a murmur gave back more than it received. All along 
the crest of the earthworks by the red house were placed straw hats. Around 
the house were hung shirts and trousers and undergarments. 

" Without field glasses in the hands of company officers each man might 
have shot his hundred rounds of ammunition and done no more damage than 
puncture Spanish headgear. But as it was, never a swarthy head appeared 
above the crest without receiving the ringing report of a Krag-Jorgensen, 
and many a bullet struck its mark. 

Prayed for Artillery. 

" This was the fight on our end of the line. Weak and tired, we dared 
not risk the charge that would have been so welcome, but oh ! how we longed 
for a support that would have allowed us to charge ! How we prayed for 
artillery, even one little piece, to shell our intrenched foe ! 

" But the glory and glamour of the fight were not for us. We were to 
hold our position, silence the enemy's fire, and take our medicine, to watch 
for a momentary glance of Spanish heads, to give them a quick volley, to 
take their deadly fire without retreating an inch — this was the task allotted us. 

" To our right we could hear great firing all the afternoon. All we 
could do was to hope that there our lines were heavier, and that there the 
turning point on the village would be made. At about half-past four in the 
afternoon one Mauser bullet succeeded in making four holes in my left hand, 
one in my cheek, and one half way down my back. I was carried down 
behind the hill we occupied. 

" At about six o'clock I heard the grandest sound that has reached the ears 



190 



BATTLE OF LA QUAS1NA. 



of an American. First, the firing all along our line became one incessant, 
never-ending report; then a wild, exultant cheer went up from our right, as 
our lines swept the town. It was a cheer from white throats and from black 
throats, a cheer that thrills, caught up and echoed back to doomed Santiago, 
and right in view of the lines of the Twenty-second the Spaniards retreated. 

" It was our turn now. All day long we had waited for it. Now we 
sent bullet after bullet at them — not at their heads alone, but at any point 
from sole of foot to crown of head, so long as it was Spanish. So the fight 
ended. 

" We went out in the morning to march through a little village that would 
give no opposition. We struck a fortified position, commanded by the rank- 
ing General at Santiago, but though it cost the Twenty-second alone a colonel 
killed, six officers wounded, two sunstruck, and many men killed and wounded, 
yet by sunset the village and many prisoners were ours.'* 



CHAPTER XI. 



Rough Riders' Stories of their Grand Achievements. 

N interesting story of the life of the Rough Riders in Cuba, with a 
description of the first brush of this dashing organization with the 
enemy, is told by Private Arthur Fortunatus Cosby, one of the par- 
ticipants, in a letter to his father, who is pay director of the navy. 
Private Cosby was in the fight at La Quasina, on June 24, and came out with- 
out a scratch, but telegraph reports included his name in the list of wounded 
in the storming of San Juan. This is the story the boy had to tell of his first 
war experience : 

" To day we had the first brush with the enemy. We were marching in 
double file on a path through the woods, when the Spaniards set on us. There 
was a tremendous popping, and L troop suffered severely. On each side was a 
dense jungle. We charged as skirmishers in the direction where the shoot- 
ing was. It was awfully hard, as the chapam' was very thick with cactus, 
overhanging vines and other growth. 

" It was about eight a.m., and we had been marching since five, with our 
heavy rolls and haversacks. We went blindly down a hill. I heard the 
scream or whirr of bullets, saw dust fly and heard little explosions. I did not 
see the enemy or smoke, but we fired a couple of rounds in their direction to 
try our guns. We continued this sort of work for three hours, tramping up 
and down as fast as we could. The perspiration simply rolled off us, and the 
boys got reckless and threw off everything but their cartridge belts. 

" Mentally, I felt perfectly cool — never more so. Meanwhile, poor L 
lost Captain Capron, their first lieutenant, Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., and 
about six others, with seventeen wounded. The Spaniards fled, but not until 
we lost twenty killed and forty wounded. They ought to have done better 
with our extended line and their numbers. Poor Marcus Russell, of Albany, 
was also shot. He enlisted at the same time I did. 

" It is a great honor for our regiment to be in the first scrap, and we did 
as much as any one could do. I threw my roll away with the rest, but noted 
the spot, and afterward tramped back and got it. 

" We landed day before yesterday at a little port twelve miles from San- 
tiago. The fleet did a little shelling, but practically there was no opposition. 
The real work began yesterday, when we got into marching rig and tramped 
from four till eight. This, after the two weeks on shipboard, and loaded down 

191 



192 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



with guns, cartridge belts filled with 100 or 125 cartridges, rolls containing 
each a blanket, half a shelter tent and a poncho, and haversacks, with three 
days' rations, was very hard. Half of my squad of eight fell out, but I stuck 
it out. The load to carry is hard. 

" On reaching camp I was put on guard, got a soaking in a shower, and 
nearly missed supper ; but I finally got dry, and slept till one a.m., when I 
again went on guard till three. At four we were up, and off, as I have said, 
by five. Then another tramp up hills and over mountains, until we had the 
fight. I was so sleepy that, during the engagement, whenever I sat or lay 
down, I nearly went to sleep. I feel all right now. I have my tent up and 
will sleep to-night splendidly. I enjoy the cooking part of it. We make a 
fire, boil water in cups, fry a little bacon, soak hardtack in the grease, and 
have a good meal. 

" I enclose a few souvenirs from the field of battle. The ground is cov- 
ered with empty shells from cartridges fired by the Spaniards. I don't know 
how many of them were killed. We found a few bodies, but they say that 
the woods to Santiago are lined with all sorts of stuff, showing where they 
fled. They ran in great shape when the first troops got started to return the 
fire. The Tenth cavalry (colored), did very good work. 

Picturesque and Fertile Country. 

" Cuba certainly seems healthy. It is a beautiful, hilly country about 
here, and there are cocoanut palms, cactus and other tropical-looking plants 
in abundance. We have only had two or three showers of ten minutes each 
a day. The nights are cool, with a heavy dew. I find that by covering my- 
self with a poncho I can keep dry. 

" We are encamped on a hill where we cannot be surprised. We get fine 
spring water, and have whatever breeze there is, and are happy at the prospect 
of a rest. I evidently stand it much better than most of the boys, as I am 
absolutely sound. As for the climate, do not worry ; it really is not bad." 

Mr. Cosby, whcris a lawyer, was taken to the hospital at Tampa, where, 
speaking further concerning his experiences, he said : 

" I was struck in the left hand on July 1st, while waiting for orders to 
charge a Spanish blockhouse. The ball passed through the brim of my hat, 
which I was holding in my hand, struck my hand and then entered my chest, 
where it now remains. 

" A number of officers were killed and wounded through their own fool- 
hardiness. They remained standing after ordering the men to lie down. The 
entrenched enemy had blazed the trees around their breastworks so as to get 
the range perfectly with their artillery as well as rifles, and they picked off 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



193 



our men with ease, while we could not see them and could not locate them 
on account of their using smokeless powder. 

Spaniards Good Shots. 

" There is no discount on the manner in which Spanish sharpshooters 
can use a rifle. They are splendid shots. 

" You should have seen the Ninth and Tenth cavalry regulars go into 
that fight. The men are all colored and have had experience on the plains. 
They started in laughing and talking to each other about picking off every 
Spaniard they could see. They seemed to think the whole thing was a lark, 
but the poor fellows soon found out that it wasn't, for many of them were 
killed and wounded. 

" The Spaniards used no explosive bullets — that is, the regulars — but the 
Spanish volunteers, who were few in number at Santiago, did use a copper 
bullet. The volunteers were such poor shots, however, that very few of our 
men were struck with these bullets. 

"The firing grew quite monotonous, and all were anxious for a charge. 
A cheer came from the ranks of the Seventy-first New York, and was imme- 
diately answered by the cowboy yell of the Rough Riders. A moment later 
came the command to charge, and nothing could stop us. Hundreds of men 
went down, but the remainder swept on, and that July 1st will live in history." 

Private Cosby was not allowed to express any opinion regarding the man- 
agement of the campaign. The surgeon stood by, and whenever he was 
disposed to express an opinion stopped him. 

Sergeant Cash, one of a party of wounded soldiers, who called on Secre- 
tary of War Alger, a few weeks after the engagement, was the first participant 
in that famous charge to tell his experiences to the Secretary. In talking on 
the situation at Santiago and of the engagements which had occurred before 
he left, he said : 

" The fighting was hard and the narrow and rough mountain trails made 
it difficult to move in any military formation. In the daytime it was pretty 
hot, and the rains at night were disagreeable. At first there was some diffi- 
culty about supplies, but everything seemed to be done the best it could be, 
and the men took care of themselves as well as they could and did not see 
any reason to complain." 

In speaking of the first engagement near Siboney, Sergeant Cash was 
high in his praise of the bravery of the American troops. He said : "At the 
first engagement near Siboney, where the Rough Riders were first subjected 
to such a galling fire, and where we lost a lot of our men, we were not sur- 
prised. We knew that the Spanish were in ambush, and we were trying to 
13 



194 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



beat them out. We knew that at any minute they were likely to open fire on 
us, and when they did so from two or three quarters we were expecting it 
and went at them. 

" We were in the short cane, where the Spanish could easily locate us 
and keep track of us. The bullets from the Spanish rifles cut the cane around 
us and picked off our men incessantly. 

" We were ordered not to discharge our guns until we reached the line 
of fire, and for several hours crawled up the face of the hill among the 
short cane, the bullets flying thick among us, without returning the fire. 

" We were half way up the hill, and near the line of fire, other troops 
being ahead of us, when I was struck. I then crawled back to the creek, 
where there was a field hospital, and had my arm dressed. 

" A good many wounded had to lie down in the damp edge of this creek 
all day long because we were in the line of fire, and the Spanish were con- 
stantly firing at the hospital." 

The wounded Rough Rider spoke in the highest terms of the conduct 
of Colonel Roosevelt during the engagement. He said the then Lieutenant- 
Colonel was always at the front and cheered his men on to the well-deserved 
victory. He did not take account of danger, but set a bold example of 
bravery. 

Some of the Wounded Talk. 

Sergeant Kline, of Troop L of the Rough Riders, a wiry little man, with 
light blue eyes, was shot in the second fight — that at San Juan — through the 
knee cap, the bullet coming through the hip. He was standing beside 
Lieutenant Thomas — a son of Judge John R. Thomas, of Vinita, Indian Ter- 
ritory — who commanded the troop after the death of Captain Capron. When 
Thomas fell with a bullet through his foot, he at first refused to be moved, 
but lay on the ground, cheering on his men, until he was picked up by two 
privates. He was carried off the field after Kline had cut off his trousers and 
tied the string of his_ canteen around his leg as a tourniquet to check the 
deeding, in all probability saving the lieutenant's life. 

In describing the first fight of the Rough Riders — that at La Quasina — 
Kline said it was no ambuscade and that Roosevelt's men deliberately charged 
the Spaniards, knowing that they were probably outnumbered ten to one. 
" And I want to say right now," said Kline, " that the colored troops of the 
Tenth Cavalry backed us up in splendid style. No men could have fought 
more gallantly than they did, and if it hadn't been for their assistance I'm not 
sure what might have become of us. 

"We found when we captured the trenches that the enemy had been 
primed with liquor in order to make them fight the harder, for in many of the 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



195 



trenches we captured quantities of rum and brandy in bottles and flasks, and 
even barrels of wine." 

Private Edward Culver, who belongs to the Cherokee tribe in the Indian 
Territory, was struck by the same bullet which killed Hamilton Fish. After 
passing through Sergeant Fish's head the Mauser missile struck Culver under 
the left arm and traversed his body, lodging in the muscles of the right side, 
where it still remains. 

He was thought to be mortally wounded, but rallied rapidly. Culver 
lay where he fell for twenty-six hours, and managed to fire forty-five shots 
at the enemy before he became too weak from loss of blood. Culver was 
lying wounded on the Olivette and from his berth witnessed the destruction 
of the Spanish fleet. " I tell you it did me good," said he, " to see the way 
our people wiped them out. The boys on the Olivette who were lying in 
their bunks got up and crawled up on deck and cheered until they couldn't 
stand. I think that sight did us all more good than all the surgeons in the 
army, although I don't want to say anything against them, for all of us who 
were hurt received the very best of attention as soon as we could be carried 
off the field." 

Beef Stew Renews Spirit. 

An incident illustrating Colonel Roosevelt's devotion to the men of his 
regiment was told by Trooper Burkholder, of the Rough Riders, who belongs 
in Phoenix, Ariz. Burkholder was all through the active campaign with the 
Rough Riders, and returned with them to Camp Wikoff. He was away on 
furlough on account of a slight attack of swamp fever when the Rough Riders 
were mustered out, and thus missed, as he puts it, " an opportunity to say 
good-bye to the most gallant commander and the truest man that a soldier 
was ever privileged to fight under." 

" Only us few men who were with him," said Burkholder, " know how 
considerate he was of us at all times. There was one case in particular that 
illustrates this better than any I can recall. It happened after the fight at La 
Quasina. The men were tired with the hard march and the fighting, and 
hunger was gnawing at every stomach. Besides, we had our first men killed 
there, and, taking it all in all, we were in an ugly humor. The usual shout- 
ing, cracking of jokes, and snatches of song were missing, and everybody 
appeared to be in the dumps. 

" Well, things hadn't improved a bit, in fact, were getting worse along 
toward meal time, when the Colonel began to move about among the men, 
speaking encouragingly to each group. I guess he saw something was up, 
and no doubt he made up his mind then and there to improve at least the 
^umor of the men. There's an old saying that a man can best be reached 



196 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



through his stomach, and I guess he believes in that maxim. Shortly after- 
ward we saw the Colonel, his cook, and two of the troopers of Company I 
strike out along the narrow road toward the town, and we wondered what 
was up. 

" It was probably an hour or so after this, and during a little resting spell 
in our work of clearing ground and makings things a little camp-like, that 
the savory and almost forgotten odor of beef stew began to sweep through 
the clearing. Men who were working stopped short and began to sniff, and 
those who had stopped work for a breathing spell forgot to breathe for a 
second. Soon they joined in the sniffing, and I'll wager every one of us was 
sniffing as hard as he knew how. Oh, but didn't that smell fine! We 
weren't sure that it was for us, but we had a smell of it anyway. Quickly 
drooping spirits revived, and as the fumes of the boiling stew became stronger 
the humor of the men improved. We all jumped to our work with a will, 
and picks, shovels and axes were plied in race-horse fashion, while the men 
would stop now and then to raise their heads and draw a long breath and 
exclaim: ' Wow! but that smells good.' 

Had "Real Onions" in It. 

" We were finally summoned to feed, and then you can imagine our sur- 
prise. There was a big boiler and beside it a crowd of mess tent-men dishing 
out real beef stew! We could hardly believe our eyes, and I had to taste 
mine first to make sure it wasn't a dream. You should have seen the expres- 
sions on the faces of the men as they gulped down that stew, and we all 
laughed when one New York man yelled out: 'And it's got real onions in 
it, too ! ' 

" After we had loaded up we began to wonder where it all came from and 
then the two Troop I men told how the colonel had purchased the potatoes 
and onions while his own cook secured the meat from Siboney. 

" You probably won't believe it, but the bushel of potatoes cost Colonel 
Roosevelt almost $60, and he had to pay thirty odd good American dollars to 
get the onions, but then he knew what his men wanted, and it was always his 
men first with him. There was a rush to his tent when we learned this, and 
if you ever heard the cheering I'm sure you wouldn't wonder why the Rough 
Riders all love their colonel. 

" I see," said Burkholder, "that in his address to the men at Camp Wikoff 
the colonel told how he had to hurry at the San Juan Hill fight to save him- 
self from being run over by the men. That's just like him to say that; but 
he probably forgets that more than half of the men never ran so fast before 
and never will again, as they had to run to keep up with him. If Colonel 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 197 

• 

Roosevelt lived in Arizona we would give him any office he wanted without 
any election nonsense." 

Mason Mitchell, an actor and a member of Troop K, was wounded at 
Santiago on July 1st, during the artillery fire just before the famous charge 
of San Juan Hill. He was lying down when a piece of shell struck him on 
the shoulder and ploughed its way around, following hb ribs, lodging in his 
right breast. 

" I was just about to rise," he said, "when the shell struck me. Pieces 
of it also struck two other men. It toppled me over and sent me sprawling 
down the hill until I rolled up against another Rough Rider, who had been a 
New York policeman. He also was wounded, and we lay there until another 
member of my troop named Van Schaick, also a new Yorker, came along. 
He wet his handkerchief from his canteen and bathed my wounds. After 
that I was picked up and taken to a field hospital and later transferred to 
Key West. 

" Colonel Roosevelt displayed conspicuous courage. He was in sight all 
the time, cheering on his men, and constantly exposed to the Spanish fire." 

How it Feels to be Shot. 

Lieutenant J. R. Thomas, a Rough Rider, who received a wound said : 
"A Mauser bullet hole through the tibia caused a dull, deadened sort of 
shock, with the pain mainly absent, but a fellow knows that he is shot the 
minute it strikes him. There is more pain in binding the limb to stop the 
loss of blood than in the mere injury. The shot makes one feel like he hcd 
been hit with a baseball bat with the pain left out." 

Here is a sketch of "Buckey" O'Neill by the man who caught him as 
he fell, William Buling: 

Buckey' was not a cow-puncher at all, and not a 'bad' man, as the 
papers make out. ' Buckey ' went to the territory as a court stenographer, 
and since then he has always held public positions. He was quiet and gen- 
tlemanly always. Did you know he wrote ? You ought to read some of his 
stories printed in the Hoof and Horn , his own paper; stories of life out there 
that make tears come into your eyes. 'Buckey' told his men to lie down, 
but he stood up himself, which was like i Buckey,' and he had just made a 
remark when a bullet caught him in the mouth. He died instantly. His 
body fell forward, and we caught him before he reached the ground. After- 
ward I kept the buzzards from his body." 

A Spaniard who was captured in the fight at La Quasina said of the 
American volunteers : " They did not fight as other soldiers. When we fired 



198 ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 

a volley they advanced instead of going back. The more we fired the nearer 
they came to us. We were not used to fighting with men who act so." 

This comment touches a gratifying feature of the engagement. Five 
hundred volunteers surprised on a narrow trail successfully drove back four 
times their number, under a fire which killed or wounded every tenth man. 
This is what is called a decimating fire and one under which, according to 
military tactics, troops are expected to retreat. The credit of the engage- 
ment is, therefore, all the greater for the reason that instead of a retreat there 
was a steady, cool advance, which only ceased when the enemy's base was 
taken and they were seen retreating, carrying their wounded. Forty dead 
Spaniards were afterward found. 

The charge of the Tenth Cavalry of the regulars, and the First Cavalry, 
who, coming up by the other trail, cleared the ridge upon which the enemy 
was entrenched, assisted equally in the repulse. The Spaniards had selected 
the position with care. The two trails from Siboney approach Quasina like 
the halves of a wish bone, with the Spanish position at the meeting point. 
The enemy were accordingly so placed that they were able to see down the 
valley and cover the approach of the Americans whichever way they came. 

General Young arranged to meet Colonel Wood at this spot, and, as his 
trail was longer, he started from Siboney with the regulars half an hour in 
advance of the volunteers. His scouts saw the Spaniards on the ridge long 
before those in the brush were discovered by Colonel Wood. The losses in 
killed and wounded were for this reason greater among the volunteers, be- 
cause of the ambush, which brought them to from thirty to fifty yards of the 
enemy. 

One feature of the fight which illustrated the spirit shown by our men 
was when one man fell out wounded, three or four others did not fall out also 
to help him to the rear, a service which is, as a rule, most popular. On the 
contrary, the wounded lay where they dropped, unattended except by the 
hospital corps. In three cases there were men wounded in the arm or leg 
who cared for others fatally wounded. There was no one else near to help 
them, for no one of the volunteers who was able to shoot did anything else. 

Marshall's Devotion to Duty. 

The spirit shown by Edward Marshall, the newspaper correspondent, was 
as admirable as that of any soldier on the field. He was shot first on the 
firing line, and, though the bullet passed within an inch of his spine and threw 
him into frequent and terrible convulsions, he continued in his intervals of 
consciousness to write his account of the fight, and gave it to a wounded 
soldier to forward to his paper. This devotion to duty by a man who be- 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



199 



lieved he was dying was as fine as any of the many courageous and inspiring 
deeds that occurred during the two hours of breathless and desperate fighting. 

The conduct of all the men in the fight cannot be over-praised. It must 
be remembered that not for one minute during the two hours did the strain 
slacken nor the officers call a halt. The movement was as fast and incessant 
as if at a ball match. The ground was uneven and the advance impeded by 
vines an inch thick, trailing bushes, cactus plants, known as " Spanish bayo- 
nets," which tear the flesh and clothing. Through all this the men fought 
their way, fal.ing, stumbling, wet with perspiration, panting for breath, but 
obeying Colonel Wood's commands instantly. 

They disproved all that had been said in criticism of them when the 
organization was formed. The cowboys observed perfect discipline, and the 
Eastern element in Troop K from the clubs and colleges acted with absolute 
coolness and intelligence. 

Bravery and Hairbreadth Escapes. 

Cowboy Rowland, from Deming, New Mexico, who was shot through the 
thigh, the bullet coming through the side, going out at the back, limped to 
the temporary hospital, where he was told nothing could be done for him at 
that moment. He accordingly walked to the front and crawled along on his 
belly firing volleys with the rest. 

Colonel Wood, who was at the front throughout the entire action, saw a 
trooper apparently skulking fifty feet in the rear of the firing line and ordered 
him sharply to advance. The boy rose and hurried forward limping. As he 
took his place and raised his carbine, he said : " My leg was a little stiff, sir." 
Colonel Wood looked and saw that a bullet had ploughed twelve inches along 
the side of the trooper's leg. One had three bullets pass so close that he has 
marks in three distinct places as though a hot poker had been drawn across 
the flesh and blistered it. 

Color Sergeant Wright, of Omaha, who walked close to Colonel Wood, 
carrying the flag, had his hair clipped in two places and his neck scorched by 
three bullets that passed through the flag. Two officers standing on either 
side of Colonel Wood were wounded, but nothing seemed able to reach him. 

He was cool and deliberate always, but the move that won the fight was 
a piece of American bluff, pure and simple. The Spanish position was at an 
old ruined distillery, shut in by impenetrable bushes. In advance of these 
bushes were a hundred yards of open ground, covered by high grass. At the 
edge of this grass Colonel Wood ordered the line to cease firing and rise and 
charge across. The men did so under a heavy but fortunately misdirected 
fire. 



200 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



To the Spaniards they looked like a skirmish line thrown out in advance 
of a regiment. The Spaniards could not believe that so few men would 
advance with such confidence, unless supported in force, so they turned and 
ran. What had looked to the enemy as an advance line was every man 
Colonel Wood had at his disposal. As the Spanish fire slackened and ceased, 
those far to the left saw them retreating. The men cheered with a long, 
panting cheer, as the charge was led by Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt and 
Colonel Wood some twenty feet in advance. That ended the fight. 

The Splendid Charge. 

John Fox, Jr., the young novelist, who was with the army of invasion in 
Cuba, wrote the following brilliant account of the heroic work done by Roose- 
velt's Rough Riders in the deadlv ambuscade at La Ouasina: 

" This I was taking in when the Riders were fighting their way forward, 
foot by foot, and making the charge that won the day. 

" 1 Cease firing and advance ! ' " 

" No wonder the Spaniards ran — they must have thought that the superb 
nerve of that charging line had the muscles of the whole army supporting it 
close behind. 

" At a big spring I was overtaken by two men. One had a smooth face 
that suggested subdued temptations, and the other called him, I thought, 
' captain.' The one was a trooper, but the other, the smooth-faced man. was 
a chaplain. He wore a six-shooter, handled it with loving familiarity, said he 
asked no odds of any man, could settle a Spaniard at fifty paces, did not mean 
to be taken by surprise, and, therefore, mounted on a mule as high as a 
dromedary, he carried his ' gun ' drawn, and almost wept next morning when 
his colonel told him that the articles of war forbade him to carry a weapon ; 
and yet he was a man of the cloth, from Arizona, and to the Rough Riders — 
chaplain. 

" The chaplain was much disturbed when he first heard of the fight of La 
Quasina, and groanecTin genuine distress when he was told that the adjutant 
had seen Colonel Wood fall, and had got from his lips a dying message to his 
wife. The rumors were so thick, conflicting and wild, however, that we were 
not sure there had been any fight at all. But by-and-by we met a white man 
on foot with his arm in a sling. Then came, on a litter, a negro with a shat- 
teredleg; then another with a bullet through his throat, and another and 
another. On horseback rode a sergeant with a bandage around his brow — 
I could see him smiling broadly fifty yards ahead — -and the furrow of a Mauser 
bullet across his temple and just under his skin. 

" After him we passed a camp of insurgents, little, thin, brown fellows, 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



201 



ragged, dirty, shoeless — each with a sugar-loaf straw hat, a Remington rifle 
of the pattern of 1882, or a brand-new Krag-Jorgensen donated by Uncle Sam 
and the inevitable and ever-ready machete swinging in a case of embossed 
leather on the left hip. They were very young and very old, and were wiry, 
quick-eyed, intelligent for the most part, and in countenance vivacious and 
rather gentle. There was a little creek next, and, climbing the bank of the 
other side, I stopped short, with a start, in the road. To the right and on a 
sloping bank lay eight gray shapes, muffled from head to foot, and I thought 
of the men I had seen asleep on the deck of the transport at dawn. Only 
these were rigid, and I should have known that all of them were in their last 
sleep but one, who lay with his left knee bent and upright, his left elbow 
thrust from his blanket and his hand on his heart. He slept like a child. 

Rough Riders' Camp. 

" Beyond was the camp of the regulars who had taken part in the fight 
On one side stood General Young, who himself had aimed a Hotchkiss gun 
in the fight, covered with grime and sweat, and with the passion of battle not 
quite gone from his eyes, and across the road soldiers were digging one long 
grave. Half a mile further, on the top of the ridge, and on a grassy sunlit 
knoll, was the camp of the Riders, just beyond the rifle pits from which they 
had driven the Spaniards. Under a tree, to the right, lay another row of 
muffled shapes, and at once I walked with Colonel Wood to the hospital, a 
quarter of a mile away. The path, narrow, thickly shaded and dappled with 
sunshine, ran along the ridge through the battlefield, and was as pretty, peace- 
ful and romantic as Lovers' Walk now is at White Sulphur. 

" Here and there the tall grass along the path was pressed flat where a 
wounded man had lain. In one place the grass was matted and dark red ; 
near by was a blood-stained hat marked with the initials 4< E. L. " Here was 
the spot where Hamilton Fish fell, the first victim of the fight ; there brave 
young Capron was killed. A passing soldier bared his left arm and showed 
me three places between his wrist and elbow where the skin had merely been 
blistered by three separate bullets, as he lay in front of Capron after the latter 
fell. Farther on lay a dead Spaniard with covered face. A buzzard flapped 
from the tree over him as we passed beneath. Beyond was the open-air 
hospital, where were two more rigid human figures, and where the wounded 
lay. 

"That night there was a clear sky, a quarter moon and an enveloping mist 
of stars, but little sleep for any, I imagine, and but restless, battle-haunted 
sleep for all. Next morning followed the burial. Captain Capron was car- 
ried back to the coast. The rest were placed side by side in one long, broad 



202 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



trench, with their feet to the east. In the bottom of the grave was a layer of 
long, thick, green, cool leaves of Guinea grass, and over the brave fellows 
were piled the green plumes of the royal palm as long as the grave. At the 
head of the trench stood the chaplain ; around it the comrades of the dead 
along the road straggled a band of patient, ragged Cubans, and approaching 
from Santiago a band of starving women and children, for whom the soldiers 
gave their lives. No man could ask a braver end, a more generous cause or 
a kindlier grave — a soldier's death, a brother's freedom, and a last resting 
place in leaves and white sand. 

" Nearer, my God to Thee," sang the soldiers. 

" And the tragedy of La Quasina was done. 

The Cavalrymen Themselves. 

" Everybody has perfect faith in the American regular, and knows what 
he can and what he will ever do. General Young did, then, what the nation 
knew he would do, and hiscoloredtroopers fought bravely and well. But the 
interest of the fight would centre in the gallant conduct of Roosevelt's Rough 
Riders — or Wood's Weary Walkers, as they were dubbed at Tampa after 
their horses were taken from under them— even if they had not borne the 
brunt of the fight. Never was there a more representative body of men on 
American soil ; never was there a body of such varied elements ; and yet it 
was so easily welded into an effective fighting machine that a foreigner would 
not know that they were not as near brothers in blood, character, occupation; 
mutual faith and long companionship as any volunteer regiment that ever took 
the field. 

"The dominant element was the big game hunter and the cow boy, and 
every field officer and captain had at one time or another owned a ranch. The 
majority came from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territory, 
though every State in the Union was represented. There were graduates of 
Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, University of Virginia, of Penn- 
sylvania, of Colorado, of Iowa and other Western and Southern colleges. 
There were members of the Knickerbocker Club of New York, and the Som- 
erset of Boston, and of crack horse organizations of Philadelphia, New York 
and New Jersey. There were revenue officers from Georgia and Tennessee, 
policemen from New York City, six or eight deputy marshals from Colorado, 
half a dozen Texan Rangers, and one Pawnee, several Cherokees and Chicka^ 
saws, Choctaws and Creeks. 

"There were men of all political faiths, all creeds — Catholics, Protestants 
and Jews. There was one strapping Australian and one of the Queen's 
mounted police, though ninety per cent, of all were native-born Americans. 



ROUGH RIDERS' STORIES. 



203 



" Such were the men who fought the good little fight at La Quasina, and 
would to Heaven I had been with them ! And so, once more, to the Riders, 
one and all, Hail ! 

"June 30. — Quiet, modest, forceful Colonel Wood moves on Santiago 
to-morrow in command of a brigade. Roosevelt's Rough Riders go as Roose- 
velt's in fact as well as in name. Colonel Roosevelt has made his word of 
peace good in war.'' 

Death of Two Heroes. 

" In the two hours' fighting during which the volunteers battled 
against their concealed enemy enough deeds of heroism were done to fill 
a volume,'' said an officer who was in the battle. " One of the men of 
Troop E, desperately wounded, was lying squarely between the lines of fire. 
Surgeon Church hurried to his side, and, with bullets pelting all around him, 
calmly dressed the man's wound, bandaged it and walked unconcernedly back, 
soon returning with two men and a litter, The wounded man was placed on 
the litter and brought into the lines. 

" Sergeant Bell stood by the side of Captain Capron when the latter was 
mortally hit. The Captain had seen that he was fighting against terrible 
odds, but never flinched. 1 Give me your gun a minute,' he said to the ser- 
geant, and, kneeling down, he deliberately aimed and fired two shots in quick 
succession. At each a Spaniard was seen to fall. Bell, in the meantime, had 
seized a dead comrade's gun, and knelt besides his captain and fired steadily. 

" When Captain Capron fell he gave the sergeant parting messages to his 
wife and father, and bade the sergeant goodbye in a cheerful voice as he was 
being borne away dying. 

" Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., was the first man killed by the Spanish 
fire. He was near the head of the column as it turned from the wood road 
into range of the Spanish ambuscade. He shot one Spaniard who was firing 
from the cover of a dense patch of underbrush. When a bullet struck his 
breast he sank at the foot of a tree, with his back against it. Captain Capron 
stood over him shooting, and others rallied around him, covering the wounded 
one. The ground this afternoon was thick with empty shells were Fish lay. 
He lived twenty minutes. He gave a lady's small hunting case watch from 
his belt to a messmate as a last souvenir." 



CHAPTER XII. 



Thrilling Stories told by the Regulars. 




MONG the soldiers who contracted typhoid fever and who were 
brought to Philadelphia for medical treatment was James L. 
McMahon, a private in Grimes' Battery, First United States Artil- 
lery, which command protected the advance of the Rough Riders 



during their memorable charge at San Juan, and also participated in the 
engagement at El Pozo. In speaking about the treatment of the men and 
the engagements, he said that the soldiers only had the experiences that were 
anticipated. What complaints were made were those coming from the volun- 
teer regiments. 

" Of course the regulars had the bulk of the fighting to do," said Mc- 
Mahon, " and being better prepared we did not feel the inconveniences of war 
so glaringly as did the volunteers. We went there to fight, and we did fight. 
I am proud, now that I am home as solid as I left, except for my fever, which 
I might just as easily have contracted here as where I did. 

" The fighting of our troops in the four battles in which I took part was 
superb. I cannot imagine how men could display more valor. Grimes' 
battery occupied one of the most exposed positions on the hill at El Pozo, 
and protected the advance of the Rough Riders. Let me tell you right here, 
those men of Roosevelt's were the pluckiest fellows I ever saw under fire. 
They did not appear to realize how near death they were. As they charged 
up the hill the air was filled with bursting shells fired from guns with smoke- 
less powder. 

" As the Rough Riders used the old-style powder, the same as we did, 
we were easy marks, for the Spanish sharpshooters, who were secreted in 
every nook and corner of the swamps, and who were attired in clothing that 
appeared grotesque to us after we had captured some of them. Their dis- 
guise in clothing the color of the trees and large palms that almost surrounded 
us was one of the tantalizing features of the campaign. This so stirred us 
that it is a wonder to me how we behaved as merciful as we did. The 
Spaniards are treacherous men and we had treachery to combat as well as to 
fight smokeless powder and good guns. Handicapped as we were, we whipped 
them at their own game. Had their fighting been open and their warfare as 
honest as ours we would have annihilated the Spanish forces quicker than 
cable messages could have carried the news to our homes. 
204 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



205 



" It is not amiss here for me to say a word about our officers. Every- 
one of them is a hero. Without flinching they led charges in the face of 
what looked to be sure death, and with the kindest words for their men. 
They suffered just the same as we did, and fared no better. What they had 
we had. Above all, we had confidence in them, and I am sure that they had 
confidence in us. We were not urged into any place ; we were led by them. 

" They were constantly in the front, and I do not think there is one 
soldier in the regular army that is not proud of his superior officers. As I lie 
here and have time to think over the struggles in Cuba, I am proud to be 
classed as an American soldier. The volunteers did excellent service. You 
must recall the fact that they were new and untrained, and, to an extent, saw 
difficulties which we would have brushed aside. But for this they cannot be 
blamed. I think if the war had been continued for six months the complaints 
of the men would have materially diminished." 

A Fight to the Death. 

Of the 75 men of the Twenty-fourth infantry, who led the charge on the 
San Juan block house, 53 were killed or wounded. 

W. R. Weichert, of New York, a member of the Ninth infantry, was one 
of the fifteen men who captured the blockhouse at El Caney, occupied by 
thirty-five Spaniards, by entering through the roof. 

" It was certain death, we thought, but not a man flinched," he said. 
"The Spaniards had been shooting us through the holes in the blockhouse, 
and we could not penetrate their heavy timbers. We were ordered to the 
roof, nineteen of us. The first four jumped in and were as quickly slaugh- 
tered, and then we all dropped in at one time, and for twenty minutes the 
fighting was most desperate. 

" I engaged a Spaniard in a hand-to-hand bout, and was wounded in the 
arm. I wrenched his pistol from his hand and shot him dead. 

" Here is a souvenir," he added, displaying a Madrid-made revolver. 
" Every one of the thirty-five Spaniards was killed; of the original nineteen 
Americans only the first four were killed. This attack was made on July 1st." 

Harry Zitsch, a member of the regular army, in a letter to his parents in 
New Jersey, described graphically the fight before Santiago. He said : 

" I don't doubt but you saw the account of the battle we had on the 1st 
of July. From 7 to 11 o'clock a.m. we were in a hot fire, the Spaniards were 
on the hills above us, and from there they fired down on us. They thought 
they had the best of us, but they didn't have. The Seventy-first Regiment, 
of New York, were ahead of us — at the very front, and as soon as the Spaniards 
fired, they were ordered to retreat. Our Colonel (Worth) then ordered us — > 



206 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



the Thirteenth regulars — to the front ; there was no halt for us, but onward 
toward the enemy. 

" When we were half-way up we were ordered to charge, and charge we 
did — and that won the battle ; but let me tell you what an awful condition it 
left the companies in. My company (D) had just twenty-five left out of sixty 
men, and that is the way it was through the whole Thirteenth Regiment. 
We were on the battlefield for thirty-six hours, without food, drink or sleep. 
We dug holes in the ground large enough for our bodies to lie in for slight 
protection, thus enabling us to pick off most of the Spanish sharpshooters who 
were hiding in trees. 

" Colonel Worth was shot in the arm and breast, and the Major was shot 
through both knees, the oldest captain through the right leg, and two lieu- 
tenants were killed and many others wounded. On July 2 the Spanish tried 
to break through our lines, but we drove them back, and their loss was five 
hundred dead and wounded." 

Back from the war with a bullet hole in his breast, a shattered right arm 
and notice of promotion to be a brigadier general for gallant conduct on the 
field, Lieutenant Colonel William S. Worth, the returning hero of the Thir- 
teenth infantry, was modestly welcomed when he set foot on Governor's 
Island. 

Brigadier General Gillespie, commanding the Department of the East, 
hurried to the wharf and shook the left hand of Colonel Worth when he 
stepped from the ferryboat. Other soldiers, officers and privates, gathered 
about him. Colonel Worth shook hands with them all, two army prisoners 
known as " trusties " included. 

The Colonel Badly Wounded. 

Colonel Worth was accompanied by his orderly, Corporal John Keller, 
who, like his chief, was wounded at San Juan hill. They were brought North 
on the City of Washington, which landed them at Old Point Comfort. From 
there they proceeded by boat to Baltimore, and reached New York by rail. 

There were two wounds in Colonel Worth's chest, which were believed to 
have been made by one bullet, which entered the left side, was deflected and 
passed out at the right side. The right arm was fractured near the shoulder 
and again just above the elbow. Whether either or both of these fractures 
was made by the bullet that passed through the chest is not known. 

Colonel Worth was in command of a brigade at the beginning of the 
battle on July 1st. Colonel WyckofT, of the Twenty-second infantry, who 
arrived after the fighting had begun, superseded Colonel Worth, but fell at 
the attack on San Juan hill, Colonel Worth resumed command and was 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



207 



wounded while charging up the hill. Colonel Emerson H. Liscum, of the 
Twenty-fourth infantry, who succeeded Colonel Worth, was also wounded. 

When asked to give his account of how he received his wounds, Colonel 
Worth said: 

" All I can say is that I was shot going up San Juan hill. I am too 
weak and tired to tell you about it. See my orderly. He will tell you about 
it. Was I leading ? Well, it took a good runner to keep up with the men 
in that charge, to say nothing of leading them. The conduct of the men was 
magnificent." 

Colonel Worth's orderly, Corporal Keller, who is constant in his atten- 
tions upon his chief, told the story of the fight. 

" It was an awful charge up San Juan hill," said he. " Officers who went 
all through the civil war and had been in half a dozen Indian campaigns said 
they never saw anything like it. Those Spaniards on that hill were well en- 
trenched, and they knew how to shoot, too, 

" We had eight rows of barbed wire fence to cut through to get at them. 
The wires were laid on top of each other so closely you could hardly get 
your fingers between them. In places the wires were twisted so as to form 
a cable, and our wire cutters were almost useless in such places. We tried 
to get the Cubans to go ahead and cut the fences, but they declined. We 
had to advance up that hill, cutting fences and firing as we went, and all in 
the face of a fierce fire. If you've ever been in a heavy hail storm trying to 
dodge hail stones, that is what it was like. 

" San Juan Hill was five hundred yards long, and the slant was thirty 
degrees. The Spaniards on top had rifle pits and artillery, giving us shrap- 
nel, solid shot and Mauser bullets. The Thirteenth had to stand the brunt 
of it. We were regulars and were put in front. They mowed us down at a 
terrible rate. I can't tell you who led the regiment. I was in Company B. 

Colonel Worth's Pluck. 

" It was fire and advance, fire and advance, as regular as clockwork on 
our side, and we taught those Spaniards something about rapid fire. They 
said afterward they never saw anything like it before. We went up that hill 
and drove them out in a very short time, but it was long enough to lose a lot 
of our men. 

" I saw Colonel Worth when he was shot. He did not fall. His sword 
dropped from his right hand, but he picked it up with his left and, waving it 
in the air, encouraged the men to press on. Afterward loss of blood made 
him so weak that he was sent to the rear. 

" I was struck on the left side of my back by a shell, which passed over 



208 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



my head and exploded behind me. A fragment struck my cartridge belt, 
driving the cartridges against my spine. I felt as though I had had an elec- 
tric shock and was sent sprawling on the ground. I lay there for a while. 
When I came to I found that we had dislodged the Spaniards and were driv- 
ing them down the hill. I was sent to the rear with the wounded and found 
Colonel Worth. 

"We were hauled eight miles in a wagon over a very rough road to 
Siboney, where the Colonel had his wounds dressed and his arm set. We 
were in the hospital there until the City of Washington was ready to take us 
North." 

Colonel H. C. Egbert 5 who was wounded in the San Juan Hill fight, near 
Santiago de Cuba, in an official substitute report to the Secretary of War of 
the part the Sixth Infantry Regulars took in that famous action on July 
1st, concludes with the following graphic summary: 

" What has been said of the English, 'that they never fight better than 
in their first battle,' I believe I may justly claim for the Sixth Infantry, very 
few of whom had ever before been under fire. Yet they acted from first to 
last of this trying day like veterans of many battles. Never at Gettysburg, 
nor in the lines of Spottsylvania Court House, have I ever but once seen as 
hot a fire as the ten minutes in the grass field when the Sixth entered it the 
first time, and where the regiment sustained most of its loss, the highest in 
percentage of any regiment -in the army of invasion. Yet officers and men 
fought with a steady and determined valor worthy of their country and race. 
The regiment took into action 463 officers and men, and its loss was eleven 
officers and 114 men. 

" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Harry C. Egbert, Colonel Twenty-second Infantry." 

Bullet Put Him to Sleep. 

Colonel H. C. JEgbert, who was shot through the left lung, was through 
the Civil War, and was wounded at Bethesda Church. He said he had seen 
the storming of intrenchments in that war, but had never seen anything like 
the storming of the Spanish intrenchments before Santiago. 

"It amazed the Spaniards," said Colonel Egbert. "They had not 
been accustomed to such foes. They were no match for our men, every 
one of whom is an athlete. The men in the regular army have muscles like 
iron. They have for years been training in athletics, and the Spaniards 
have not. 

" When the bullet struck me I fell, but our men passed on. The sensa- 
tion I felt was different from what I felt when wounded before. In a few 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



209 



minutes I fell asleep. I had a most pleasant dream. What it was I do not 
know, but I know it was very pleasant. I slept for fifteen minutes. 

" In what formation did we fight ? There was no formation. Every 
company fought as best it could. It was just like all the battles I have been 
in — confusion everywhere. Of course, a general has his plan, and the sub- 
ordinates carry out the details as best they can. I had no opportunity to 
judge of the fighting qualities of the Cubans. General Garcia is a very 
courteous gentleman." 

William Smith, of Company C, Sixth regiment, was shot through the 
abdomen. Smith stated that he had seen service for eighteen years. " No 
officer," he said, " will get me to carry my bundle, roll, haversack and all into 
battle again. It's hot enough without that weight. How did I get hit ? We 
were all lying down, shooting away, and bullets flying all around us. ' There's 
a nice fence over there/ says I to myself ; ' I'll be so much nearer them 
Spaniards and out of harm's way.' Well, sir, I no sooner got comfortably 
settled behind that nice fence than I got a bullet through me. When I was 
carried away those Spaniards fired on the Red Cross. One of the men car- 
rying me gave me a chew of tobacco and a drink of water, and then the poor 
fellow was shot in the head and killed. I want to get out of this, and go 
back to my regiment." 

Wounded, but Stuck to the Colors. 

Color-Sergeant J. E. Andrews, of Troop B, Third cavalry, was shot in 
the abdomen. His regiment was. going up the hill at San Juan when he was 
hit. He rolled down several yards and brought up in a ditch, but stuck to 
the colors he carried. He called out to his lieutenant to take the colors, but 
in the roar of battle the officer did not hear him. " I was in front of the firing 
line," said the color-sergeant. " We were ordered to advance, and we moved 
forward about one hundred and fifty yards. About four o'clock in the after- 
noon the hill had been carried by the Rough Riders and the Third cavalry. 
When I stopped rolling I sat up and could see the line of battle for a mile. 
I'll never forget the way our boys walked up that hill, from the top of which 
came a storm of bullets. I don't know how the men could have done it. I 
never saw anything like it. They were yelling all the way up. 

"The nippers would not cut the flat wires of the barbed fences we found 
in the way. Some of the men would jump on the wires and hold them down 
till other men had passed over them. Sergeant Mulhearn planted our colors 
on the top of the hill. In a few seconds two hundred shots flew around it, 
and it was nearly riddled. My clothes were almost cut to pieces by bullets 
which did not harm me. I was shot about three hundred yards from an 
14 



210 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



intrenchment There our boys captured a Spanish flag with the letter 
' K ' on it. 

" Lieutenant- Colonel Roosevelt and Major Westervelt, of the Rough 
Riders, were with us. I told them to lie down or they would be shot, but 
they wouldn't. Then Major Westervelt was shot in the neck. He was car- 
ried to the rear, and after being bandaged sat down to smoke his pipe. The 
hospital people wanted to keep him there. When his pipe was finished he 
said, ' Well, I guess I'm boss; I'm going.' They tried to prevent him from 
going to the front, but they couldn't. When he got to the front he was 
wounded again." 

He Shot General Linares. 

It was Sergeant McKinnery, of Company D, Ninth Infantry, who shot 
and disabled General Linares, the commander of the Spanish forces in Santi- 
ago. The Spanish general was hit about an hour before San Juan Hill was 
taken, during the first day's fighting. 

Our men saw a Spanish officer, evidently a general officer, followed by 
his staff, ride frantically about the Spanish position rallying his men. Ser- 
geant McKinnery asked Lieutenant Wiser's permission to try a shot at the 
officer, and greatly regietted to find the request refused. Major Bole was 
consulted. He acquiesced, with the injunction that no one else should fire. 

Sergeant McKinnery went for a shell, slid it into a rifle, adjusted the 
sights for 1,000 yards and fired. It fell short. Then he put in another, raised 
the sights for another thousand yards, took careful aim and let her go. The 
officer on the white horse threw up his arms and fell forward. 

" That is for Corporal Joyce," said McKinnery, as he saw that his ball 
had reached the mark. 

The officer on the white horse was General Linares himself. It was 
afterward learned that he was shot in the left shoulder. He immediately 
relinquished the command to General Toral. 

" What kind of a sting is it that a Mauser makes ? " said Corporal William 
McFarlane, a Boston boy of the Seventh regulars, home from Caney on a 
sixty days' furlough. " It is a hot, burning sensation from the time it goes in 
until the time it comes out." 

" But sometimes it is not noticed, is it ? For instance, you hear of a man 
being hit and keeping right on with his fighting?" was asked. 

" Yes, you do," said the corporal, " on paper. I don't believe there's 
much more thought of fight in a man after he is once hit. I know there was 
not in my case. We were up on the corner, at the trench, where one road ran 
down into the town of Santiago and the other ran off at right angles with it, 
and they had their trench there with the wire fence each side to keep us off. 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 211 



I was just jumping forward to lie down in obedience to orders when a Mauser 
bullet struck me right under the shoulder. It seemed to pass right through 
to the back and arch round until it came out under the right side. It is a 
singular thing about those Mausers; their bullet seems to twist in its course 
sometimes. Yes, it is a more humane bullet than some others." 
" But didn't it pass through your lungs ? " 

"Well, yes; down through a little corner of one of them, but it was 
nothing serious." 

"Tell us about it?" 

" I was an English soldier and served in the Royal Scots before I came 
out here. I was two years in one of their battalions. I had three uncles in 
the Coldstream guards, who used to be called the ' big McDonalds/ they were 
so tall. I came to this country about six years ago, and I was working in 
Boston when the war came. I determined to be in it. So I presented myself 
to Captain Quinton, down on Kneeland street, was accepted and mustered and 
found myself assigned to Company A, Seventh United States infantry, Captain 
Frederickson, who made me a corporal. 

"On the ioth of May we were at Tampa. Time slipped away from me 
there, but we went in the first expedition after the marines, and with the 
Twelfth and Seventeenth formed General Chaffee's brigade of Lawton's divi- 
sion. 

With the Seventh Regulars. 

" We were at Baiquiri I should say on the 22d. We camped over night, 
and broke camp in the afternoon of the next day. The weather was warm, 
but it didn't rain much until the 26th of June. We marched through Siboney 
over an up country, behind the Rough Riders. On the 24th of June we 
marched from 5 a. m. to 8 or 9 o'clock p. m. over the hills, on a soft road 
which we made ourselves as we went along. There were other regiments on 
our flanks, moving in the same direction ; the Twenty-fourth and Seventeenth 
on one flank and the Twenty-fifth and Twelfth on the other, so we did not 
throw out flankers of our own ; there was no occasion to do so. We went by 
La Quasina, and saw the Rough Riders and where they had made their fight. 
We went on toward Caney on the right. San Juan was another point at the 
left and the line covered a long front. 

" Our young soldiers had a great deal of trouble about their rations. 
We had three days' rations issued on the ship, and the soldiers ate them right 
up in two days. It was the travel ration of hard tack, coffee and canned 
corned beef, and the young fellows had not learned how to husband it. But 
we had six days' rations issued to us afterward, which lasted us till we got to 
Caney and had to leave them behind for the Cubans to eat up," 



212 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



" What is your opinion of the Cuban soldiers ? " was asked. 

a No good," was the prompt response. " They only ate up our rations. 
General Chaffee found an empty patch and turned them into it. I never saw 
a wounded Cuban. The only time I saw them going anywhere was when they 
were marching into the town of Caney after we had captured it. 

" We had to advance for about five miles on going into the fight at 
Caney, and all the time the bullets were falling thick. We went the best way 
we could, bushwhacking all the way. There wasn't any line, because of the 
thick bushes and the nature of the country. Just squads here and there, 
that was all, and, indeed, there was more danger from the fire in the rear at 
times than from that at the front, because sections would get into the bushes 
and, getting confused, would fire at anything they saw moving in front, no 
matter what it might be. There was no organization nor advance by rushes. 
It was not until we got up to their trenches, which they had cut near the 
blockhouse, that we got anything like a semblance of a line, and there we 
managed to form a fairly good one. 

Firing from the Blockhouses. 

" We didn't see them for most of the way up, but when we got on the 
line we were within 200 yards of Caney and could see the Spaniards very 
well. That was the place where I saw a gate through the wire trocha, which 
they used to get through themselves to the blockhouse. It was the only 
gate that I think I ever saw in the barbed wire defenses. They opened fire 
on us at 7 o'clock in the morning, and we were the first to return with small 
arms fire after the artillery. 

" It was there that young Crocker of Cambridge, my 1 bunkie/ was 
killed. He was in my company. They opened first from the blockhouses, 
and after that some of the Spaniards began to fire down upon us from a church 
tower. Captain Frederickson wanted volunteers to act as sharpshooters, and 
so I went up with Tom O'Rourke, one of the most noted skirmish line 
sharpshooters in the whole army. He was all Irish, but he came from the 
British army, and had been a sergeant and about everything, but was in the 
ranks, whether because of his love for the old stuff or not I couldn't say." 

" A regular Mulvaney ? " 

" I guess so. There was Sergeant Barrett, who also held the Buffalo 
medal, and George Smith, who won the prize at the Chicago exhibition. We 
could see the Spaniards, and when we fired we generally saw them drop. I 
was close by Lieutenant Wansboro when he was killed. He was shot 
through the heart. When I was hit I stayed in the trenches for some minutes, 
and then I walked down to the field hospital, and thence to the division hos- 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



213 



pital, which was General Shafter's headquarters for a time. There I got 
transport to Siboney, and then we were sent on the Cherokee north and 
taken to Atlanta, where I have been in the hospital for two weeks. I had to 
walk about two miles to the hospital at Caney. There was a young fellow 
named Murray, who had been poisoned so that he couldn't handle a gun, 
who came with me out of the trenches. 

" We were under a cross fire there at Caney. We had no artillery, but 
the Spaniards had the fire of their fleet, and I believe that if it had not been 
for a high bluff, which partly protected us, Lawton's whole division would 
have been annihilated by that fire. 

" Now I have come north to drink milk and eggs. I have no trouble 
from the wound except a stiffness of the shoulder muscles as though I had 
suffered a sprain, but that doesn't worry me ; I took the chances of war and 
don't think I have any reason to complain." 

A Fighting Chaplain. 

The Rev. Dwight Galloupe, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 
Newark, N. J., who was wounded before Santiago while serving as chaplain 
of the Ninth United States Infantry, tells this story : 

He said : " Two days before the battle, which occurred on the 1st of July, 
I was half a mile from the head of the firing line, and attending to my duties 
as chaplain of the Ninth regiment, when I was affected by sunstroke. This 
necessitated my removal to the hospital at Siboney, eight miles away. While 
lying on a cot in the hospital word was received that the battle was on. I 
determined to go to the front and attend to the wounded of my regiment. Per- 
mission was not given me, and while the surgeon had his attention turned in 
another direction I slipped out of the hospital and walked to where the Ninth 
regiment was stationed, just outside the city of Santiago. I did my best to 
care for the sick and wounded. I did not wear the Red Cross badge on my 
sleeve, for it did not matter, as the Spaniards did not respect it. 

" During the latter part of the battle an immense shell burst right in front 
of me. It hurled the earth against my breast and threw me for a considerable 
distance. I was not rendered unconscious, but knew I should be no further 
use during the battle. When I saw others fall about me I decided that the 
best thing would be to try to reach the hospital. 

" There was only one ambulance on the shore during the battle, and army 
wagons without springs had to be called into use to bring those most danger- 
ously wounded back to camp. The ride over the hard roads in rough 
wagons was awful. Those unable to get into the wagons started to crawl 
back to the hospital at Siboney. It was eight miles distant, and the men had 



214 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



to go through jungles on their hands and knees. There was groaning all the 
way, and blood was everywhere to be seen. The Spaniards did not slacken 
their firing, but kept it up on us, sharpshooters in trees trying to pick off the 
wounded." 

" Did you kill a Spaniard? " was asked. 

" I don't know, but I tried to," was the answer. 

" Had they known that we were wounded I believe they would have killed 
us all, but to give the impression that we were all in fighting condition I took 
the rifle of one of the men who fell and fired it. I shot from one place, then 
would drag myself about a hundred yards in another direction, fire the rifle 
again, and then go in a third direction, to give the appearance that men in the 
lines were able to shoot from all directions. It took us all the night of the 
first and until the middle of the next day to reach the hospital. The suffer- 
ings of the wounded were beyond description, but all bore up manfully, and 
those injured not as severely as the others tried to cheer up their more unfor- 
tunate comrades. 

" Some of the wounded with me became exhausted after going a few 
miles, and fell flat on the ground. Vultures could be seen soaring in the air 
above them, in a hurry to get at their prey. The other soldiers did not desert 
the men whose strength gave out, but lay down on the ground, and with their 
_ istols kept the vultures away from their comrades until the latter were picked 
up and hurried out of the way. 

" I only did what I could for the soldiers, and hope to be able to rejoin 
my regiment without delay. 

" The newspaper men in and about Santiago covered themselves with 
glory. They helped wounded soldiers, carried them to the hospitals, and 
when the soldiers were unable to leave their place in line they brought food 
and provisions to them. They were constantly in danger, but did not mind 
it, and were always ready and willing to do anything they were asked to do. 

Fired on by Friends. 

" We left Siboney on the transport Cherokee for Tampa. We were in- 
structed not to carry lights, as there was a report that Spanish vessels were 
about, and our failure to carry lights nearly cost us dearly, for we had two 
exciting encounters with two of our own auxiliary cruisers. Shortly after 
leaving Siboney we saw what we thought was a Spanish gunboat. The 
Cherokee put on steam, but the stranger began to fire shots at us. The first 
and second we paid no attention to, but when solid shot came, then we hove 
to. The wounded were between decks, and when they learned that we were 
being chased by a supposed Spanish vessel they shouted and cried that they 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



215 



would be killed. When the vessel which had been chasing us came along- 
side we learned through the megaphone that she was the cruiser Scorpion. 
When her officers learned who we were one of the men on the deck of the 

Scorpion shouted : 1 Why in don't you carry lights ? ' 

" We explained the reason and proceeded, and a short time later had an 
encounter with the Dixie. She, too, fired at us, and did not know who we 
were until we came alongside." 



Among the United States regulars whose terms of enlistment expired 
during the Santiago campaign, and who quit the service upon return- 




AN OUTPOST OF THE CUBAN INSURGENTS. 



ing to this country, was a man of the Ninth Infantry, known to the members 
of the regiment as Johnson of Maryland. He was a tall, lanky Southerner, 
and the pride of the Ninth, because of his marksmanship, which was so true 
that Johnson was head and shoulders over all the others in handling a Krag- 
Jorgensen. Hs appeared to be the most contented man in Uncle Sam's 
service, and often spoke of re-enlisting, until an event occurred just after the 
first day's fighting at San Juan, which caused him to change his mind, and he 
vowed never to handle a gun again. He would never speak of it to his com- 
rades, but they all knew why he quit ; and although they argued and tried to 
persuade him to remain, Johnson only shook his head and said, " No, boys, 
I can't stay with you any longer. I'd like to, but don't ask me again. I 
can't do it. I must get out" 



216 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



One of the members of Johnson's company tells the story of what caused 
the Ninth to lose its crack shot : 

" We had been engaged in the hottest kind of work for some hours, and 
after taking the first line of Spanish trenches we were fixing them up for our 
own use. The Spaniards had been driven back, but their sharpshooters were 
still at it, picking off our men here and there. The Mauser bullets were 
whizzing around us pretty lively, and I noticed that Johnson was getting 
more and more impatient every minute, and acting as if he was just aching to 
get at those Spanish sharpshooters, and finally he turned to me, and in his 
drawling tone, said : ' Say, its tough we can't get a chance at them.' 

" He soon got his chance, however, for just as dusk began our captain 
ordered a dozen of us to advance a short distance ahead, and well beyond the 
trenches our forces had captured. When we arrived on the spot we were 
halted on the edge of a dense wood. Just ahead of us was an open space of 
clear ground, and on the other side of that a low, thick brush, which extended 
as far as I could see. 

Startled by a Sound. 

"Just before night came on we received our final orders, which were to 
pay particular attention to the brush just ahead of us on the other side of the 
clearing, and to shoot at the first head we saw. We had settled down to our 
tiresome occupation of watching and waiting, but always prepared for any- 
thing, and Johnson and I were talking in low tones of the day's fighting we 
had just passed through, when we heard the sound of a dry twig breaking. 
We were alert in an instant, and all the men in our line were looking straight 
ahead with pieces half raised, ready for use. As I looked at Johnson I could 
see him smile, apparently with the hope of a chance to shoot. The sound 
repeated itself, this time a little nearer, but still quite indistinct. An instant 
later we again heard it, and it sounded directly ahead of Johnson and me, and 
was, beyond a doubt, a cautious tread, but too heavy for a man. While we 
waited in almost breathless silence for something to happen we again heard 
the cautious tread, now quite plain. It was the tread of a horse and was just 
ahead of us. Suddenly, as the head became plainer, a dark object appeared 
just above the top of the brush. Dozens of guns were raised, but Johnson 
whispered : 

" ' I've got him.' 

" He crawled a few paces forward and we saw him raise his gun, his 
fingers nervously working on the trigger. At that instant the brush parted 
and a horse and rider stepped out. We saw Johnson stretch out his piece 
and we expected to see a flash, but just then the rider turned in his saddle 



STORIES OF THE REGULARS. 



217 



and by the dim light from the dull red glow that still tinged the sky we saw 
a pair of eye-glasses flash. We all knew at once who it was, but not one of 
us spoke. We were probably too horrified, and before I could say a word 
Johnson turned to me and with a look on his face I shall never forget ex- 
claimed, in a hoarse voice: 

" ' My God, Ben, Roosevelt! And I nearly plucked him.' 

"With this he threw his gun from him and just sat there and stared at 
the place in the brush where Colonel Roosevelt and his horse had entered. 
The latter, when he heard the voices of our men, came straight up to us, and 
appeared surprised to find us so far beyond the trench. When he heard of 
the orders about shooting at the first head we saw he smiled and said: 

" 1 That is the first I've heard of the orders. They were probably issued 
while I was away on a little reconnoitering on my own hook.' 

Roosevelt's Narrow Escape. 

" He spoke cheeringly to the men about and passed on, little thinking 
how near he was to death a few minutes before. The more we thought of it 
after he passed the more in the dumps we got, for every one of us loved the 
Colonel of the Rough Riders, particularly for his kindness to his men, and I 
tell you it was a gloomy crowd that sat there watching Johnson, who, with 
his head supported by his hand, was either praying or thinking hard. 

"We were relieved shortly afterward, and as we marched back in silence 
Johnson walked with bowed head and none of us spoke to him, for we im- 
agined that he felt as if he would like to be alone. From that day Johnson 
showed a restlessness that was new to him, and I never saw him so happy as 
the day he stepped aboard the transport bound for home. 

" I don't know whether any word of the affair ever reached Colonel 
Roosevelt's ears, but it was a mighty narrow escape, and I tell you that I 
would rather have twenty- five Spaniards with a bead on me at 100 yards than 
for Johnson to pick me out for a target at 300 yards. In the first case you 
would have a good chance of escaping injury, but with Johnson shooting it 
was a clear case of cashing in your chips," 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Army Officers Praise the Heroism of Our Soldiers at 
the Battles Around Santiago. 

ANY who knew the late Captain John Drum, Company E, United 
States Infantry, will be interested in a letter describing his heroic 
death, as written by First Lieutenant O. Murphy, of his com- 
pany, in the trenches before Santiago, July 5, 1898. The letter is 
addressed to John D. Drum, eldest son of the late captain, and says in part : 
" Starting at 6 a.m., July 1st, we reached our place on the field of battle 
at 1 1 a.m. The artillery battle commenced about 9 a.m. Captain Drum was 
well and seemed in good spirits. 

" We wheeled to the west and drove the Spanish from several hills in 
succession, till we reached the top of a hill 400 yards from their main line of 
intrenchments, where we halted. 

" Your father was for firing on some men near these trenches, whom 
other officers pronounced to be Cubans. Finally Captain Drum ordered his 
company to fire, and the Spaniards in the trenches immediately returned a 
volley which killed your father, who was the first man in his company to fall. 

" I was within ten feet of your father when he fell, and immediately ran 
to him and helped carry him to the rear, where I examined his wound and 
found that he was shot through the centre of the breast, the ball passing 
directly through from the front to the rear. 

" He was standing up giving the order for his men to fire when it 
occurred. He fell immediately, and all the words he uttered were, ' I'm done.' 
He lived for a few minutes, and took a little water, but did not revive suffi- 
ciently to recognize any one. 

" We were still under a very destructive fire, and I sent a detachment to 
carry the captain further to the rear, while I assumed command of the company. 
He was taken to the hospital, but w r as dead when he reached there. 

" We were under fire or digging trenches for three days, and I could not 
see to the burial, but sent word to Chaplain Fitzgerald, while one of our men 
remained to assist. To-day I had the body taken up, incased in a board coffin 
and buried by some men from the company. 

" We put up a board at his head and feet, with name and rank carved on 
it, and covered the grave with tiles from a neighboring house, so that the grave 
may be readily found." 

Captain William E. English, of General Joseph Wheeler's staff, came 
218 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



219 



home on the transport Seneca, one of the hospital ships that was widely 
criticised : " We had a bad trip up, as you know," he said. " The wounded 
suffered terribly, as there were no hospital equipments. The doctors had to 
use penknives for surgical instruments. Had it not been for Miss Jennings, 
the Red Cross nurse, I do not know what the poor fellows would have done. 

" No one who has not been on the ground can understand the hardships 
the men have undergone ; and I want to say, I do not believe there is a finer 
or braver lot of men to-day than the soldiers who took Santiago. I speak 
particularly of the regulars, though I have heard the volunteers praised by 
regular officers." 

Captain English spoke enthusiastically of General Wheeler, who was 
carried to the front in an ambulance on July ist and stayed there, though he 
was suffering from fever. " Everybody down there has malarial fever in a 
mild or severe form/' he said. 

Captain English was severely injured in the first day's fighting. A shell 
exploded near Grimes' battery, killing two men. His horse swerved, stum- 
bled and fell on him. He lay for an hour under fire, and was then carried to 
the rear. When transferred to Siboney he became ill with malaria and dys- 
entery, and was finally ordered home. 

Private Louis Carpenter, of Philadelphia, a member of the Sixth cavalry, 
thus told of the attack on Santiago : " We were riding up the hill when sud- 
denly we received orders to dismount and flatten ourselves out on the ground. 
Well, now, that ground is pretty rough there, — a mass of brush consisting of 
chaparral, a kind of cactus called Spanish bayonet, and all sorts of creeping 
vines. We were sights when we got up later, our faces all scratched and 
torn, and after we got back to the camp some of the fellows' faces were 
poisoned and began to swell. 

Killed in Saving a Comrade. 

" After we got up there was a lull in the firing, and we lounged around a 
stone house, a little way up the hill. The roof was covered with tiles made 
of clay and baked hard and then glazed. They were very pretty, and we 
climbed up and walked gingerly, so as not to break them. There were a lot 
of Cubans in the yard, and we sat up there watching their antics for some 
time. Pretty soon there came a little rumble and bang ! A shell exploded 
in the yard. You should have seen those Cubans scatter. Then there came 
another shell. Well, yes, we did scatter too ; and, do you know, we didn't 
give a rap for those tiles in getting down." 

In the list of dead sent out after the battle of El Caney, on July ist, was 
the name C. D. Jacob. Charles D. Jacob, Jr., enlisted in Louisville in the 



220 



HEROISM OF THE REGULAR'S. 



First cavalry. He was a son of Charles D. Jacob, four times Mayor of that 
city. His parents could not believe it was their son, until the following tele- 
gram was received: 

" I learn from a wounded trooper of the First cavalry in the hospital 
here of the death of Charles D. Jacob, Jr., July 1st, while attempting to carry 
First Sergeant Barry, of his troop, who had been wounded by Spanish sharp- 
shooters, out of the line of fire of the enemy. At the time of the death of 
Jacob four troops of the First cavalry were lying concealed behind an embank- 
ment about a half mile from the trochas surrounding San Juan, where were 
located the heavy batteries protecting the approach to Santiago, awaiting 
commands, when an observation balloon settled just in the rear of them 
and attracted the fire of the Spanish sharpshooters and light infantry. First 
Sergeant Barry, being upon the embankment, was wounded, and Jacob, seeing 
he would be killed unless promptly brought to cover, ran forward and was 
attempting to carry him out of the line of fire when he was struck in the head 
by shrapnel and instantly killed. He also received bullet wounds. 

" I have this information from several eye-witnesses, all of whom were 
comrades in his troop and well acquainted with him. Jacob was buried 
about two miles from El Caney, between El Caney and San Juan. His grave 
is marked by a wooden head post. " E. M. Headley. 

" Fort McPherson, Ga., July 12, 1898." 

Private J. D. Hoekster,. of Troop C, First United States Cavalry, who 
was wounded at Siboney, said : 

" The Spaniards fight well in trenches and in trees. Get them in a block- 
house and they are stubborn. We rarely got nearer to them than 1,000 feet. 
Now and then we closed up and surrounded their blockhouses. They did 
not get away when we did this," and Hoekster's blue eyes had a glint of 
satisfaction. 

Badly Wounded, but Fought On. 

Hoekster was shot in the neck while lying in the trenches. He said it 
felt as if some one had knocked him in the back of the head with an axe. 
He reached for his " first aid " bandage, which every man carries in his knap- 
sack. A comrade bandaged him up, and he returned to the firing lines. 
Pretty soon he began to bleed so badly that an officer took away his gun and 
cartridge belt, and sent him to the rear. 

Joseph H. Whitman, of Reading, Pa., a member of the Twelfth United 
States Infantry, was badly wounded in the charge of the heights of El Caney, 
July 1. Whitman is 23 years of age, and comes from fighting stock. Young 
Whitman gave a graphic description of the great charge, and how he was 




221 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



nearly shot to death by a Spanish sharpshooter. He said that his company 
had just reached the heights, and the Spaniards had been routed and were 
fleeing in all directions when he received a bullet wound in the left shoulder. 
The ball penetrated the flesh and passed across his back and out on the 
opposite side. While preparing a temporary bandage, another struck him on 
the left arm, passing through the muscles. A second later he was struck on the 
left leg. This was followed by two more, which passed through the fleshy part 
of his right leg. " 1 thought that sufficient punishment," said Whitman, " but 
the spiteful devil, who was concealed in a tree, seemed determined to finish 
the job, and kept pegging away, and finally landed the sixth shot. This took 
effect in my right leg, just below the knee, and taking a downward course 
oassed out through my heel. I lay on the field all of that night until the 
next day, when I was removed to the hospital at Siboney." 

" Ever hear how an old army mule saved the Fifth Army Corps at San- 
tiago?" asked a Captain in the Third Cavalry. There was a general murmur 
among the captain's auditors that signified that he couldn't tell too much 
about the wonderful exploit of the much-maligned animal, and with a few 
more puffs at his cigar he began : 

Story of an Army Mule. 

11 We had taken San Juan hill and our line holding it was too thin for 
safety, though the talk about withdrawing came only from people who gave 
all the orders, but were not at the front. There was a feeling of nervousness 
and restlessness among the men that didn't help the situation. An order to 
retreat would probably have meant a frightful panic and all the officers were 
filled with anxiety and sending back urgent messages that the line should be 
held at all hazards, but that reinforcements must be pushed forward at once in 
order to hold the position. This was the situation when an army mule began 
to get in his work. 

" Perhaps it was_a snake or one of those big land crabs that started him, 
but whatever it was he began to kick as though determined to level the whole 
camp. Crash after crash sounded through the camp in his immediate vicinity 
as camp chests, kettles and accoutrements went flying in all directions from the 
force of his rapidly working heels. Some recruits nearby were awakened and 
thrown into confusion and they rushed about yelling and screaming in the 
full belief that they had been surprised by a night attack of the Spaniards. In 
their terror they began firing in all directions, and in ten minutes the aroused 
officers had the whole camp under arms and ready for the momentarily 
expected attack. 

" That blessed animal could not have been more timely in commencing 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



223 



his work of destruction. It seemed providential and I'm fully convinced that 
heaven inspired the act, for the Spaniards did attempt a surprise a short time 
afterward, but the mule had the camp under arms and fully prepared for the 
enemy ten minutes before the scared sentries came tearing in with the news 
and found to their surprise and joy that the officers had the men well in hand 
with their faces to the enemy. 

" Coming after the defeat of the day before, it must have taken all the 
heart remaining out of the Spaniards to find us all up and ready for them. 
A storm of bullets met the first rush, and they were thrown back, utterly de- 
feated and demoralized. The attack was well planned, and with our men 
worn out with their constant fighting for days and lack of sleep, it would not 
have been difficult to start a panic that might have ended in the utter rout of 
the Fifth Army Corps. 

Linares Changed His Mind. 

" I think this story of the San Juan fight is new," continued the captain. 
" We learned it after the surrender. General Linares was present in person 
during our charge at San Juan. His dispositions was made in accordance 
with the best military science. His troops occupied one of the strongest 
positions he could possibly have found. His orders were to hold the posi- 
tion to the last, and it was his intention to strike us on the flank with cavalry 
after we had advanced up the hill, and crush us then and there. The cavalry 
was concealed in a thick wood near the crest of the hill and we didn't know 
it was there. The plan was a magnificent one. Linares himself watched the 
charge from this place of concealment. 

" At first he was overjoyed at the prospect, being fully convinced that his 
troops from their entrenched positions could hurl down and demoralize any 
force sent against them. Had he commanded American troops I think his hope 
would have been sustained, but his first surprise came when he saw our men 
break from cover and begin, with long, steady strides, their awful charge up 
to the crests from which death reached out in all directions for victims. Up 
and up they went, cheering eagerly at every step, heedless of those who fell 
beside them, a resistless wave of blue and brown. As regiment after regi- 
ment broke from cover and followed those in advance and the perfect hail of 
fire his men poured into the advancing lines hadn't the slightest effect in check- 
ing them, Linares' heart sank, and he quickly changed his order to hold the 
hill at all hazards to one saying that the hill must be held as long as possible, 
and if it was necessary to retreat to the second line of defence to do so. He 
himself ordered the flanking movement by the cavalry to be abandoned and 
retired to the second line. 



224 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



" When fighting was going on up the hill, Lieutenant Parker, with his 
battery of machine guns came up and exclaimed to one of the officers: 'Where 
in hell are the Spaniards ? IVe been fighting all day and haven't seen a damned 
one ! ' A captain volunteered to point out the Spaniards to the lieutenant, 
and soon Parker's guns were sending torrents of bullets into the Spanish lines, 
he having gotten into a position where he could sweep the trenches. Each 
gun fired 600 shots a minute, and I think Parker's guns killed ten times the 
number of the enemy that the Krag-Jorgensens of the regulars did. When 
we got to the top of the hill the trenches were full to the top with dead and 
wounded. It was war in its most hideous aspect." 

First Officer Up San Juan. 

Major William Auman, at the head of the Thirteenth United States 
Regulars, was the first commissioned officer to reach the top of San Juan hill, 
after the three senior officers of the command had been shot down. He 
seized the Spanish flag as the prize of the regiment. Of the 420 men who 
went into that action, two officers were killed and five wounded and sixteen 
men were killed and eighty-five wounded. 

"We were the last of General Shafter's division," said Major Auman, "to 
land at Siboney, on June 25th. We were ordered to proceed to Santiago 
and encamped on the main road four miles from the city. The Rough Riders 
had already engaged the enemy at Quasina. We formed part of General 
Kent's brigade, and were immediately ordered to support the cavalry division 
under General Wheeler, taking the left flank. Early on the morning of July 
1st we came under fire before we had time to deploy, Owing to the dense 
woods we had to march in column along the road, and for one hour were 
under continuous fire in this position. 

" It was on this road we came upon the Seventy- first New York. This 
regiment was in confusion, owing to the difficult position which it occupied, 
as it was being shot at and hit without being able to locate the enemy, owing 
to the smokeless powder used by the Spaniards. After we passed it, we 
marched to the left, over the San Juan creek and into action. 

" While marching along the road Senior Major Ellis was wounded, and 
had to retire. We had no sooner formed into line than Lieutenant-Colonel 
Worth was severely wounded, and about the same time Brigade Commander 
Wykoff was killed, which left me in command of the regiment. Ours was the 
first regiment to come out into the open, and as we did so, the Spanish artil- 
lery and infantry opened a heavy fire from the crest of San Juan Hill. Men 
fell on every side. About 100 yards ahead of us was a gentle rising. I 
ordered the battalion to advance to shelter. The Spanish lines were only 600 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



225 



yards away. Here we remained until the other regiments of the brigade had 
formed on our left. As soon as the four regiments had got into line, I gave 
the command to my regiment to make the assault. We advanced up the hill 
under a galling fire. 

" Time and again the enemy tried to repulse us, but, seeing that we kept 
straight on, they ran. I immediately sent the message along the line, ' The 
Spaniards are running.' This encouraged the men, and between running and 
climbing, we reached the summit; but not until we had cut our way through 
two wire fences. Then we seized the Spanish flag, entrenchments and block 
house, while the Spaniards were running down the other side of the hill with 
their artillery. 

" I was the first commanding officer to reach the brow of the hill, and 
when the men of the different regiments asked if they should follow, seeing 
a second line of intrenchments beyond, I ordered them to hold what they had 
and fire at the fleeing enemy. We realized, however, that the Spaniards in 
the trenches beyond were firing at us. The smokeless powder kept us in 
ignorance of this for some time. Then I ordered the men to lie down and 
open fire. 

A Target for Sharpshooters. 

" A bugler was shot down within a foot of where I was standing, and for 
a time I was the target of the Spanish sharpshooters. Later we were ordered 
by General Hawkins to support the Rough Riders, who were being hard 
pressed, and while engaged in this we were under fire all night, where more 
of our men fell. The following day our brigade was replaced by a brigade of 
the Second Division under General Chaffee, and we returned to the trenches 
on San Juan Hill, where we remained until July 17, when the city surren- 
dered. In taking San Juan Hill twenty-five per cent, of my men were shot 
down. It was a close call for every man in the engagement. 

" All prisoners, numbering 7,000, were received by my regiment. With 
one battalion I entered the city, while I stationed the other battalion out in 
the field to receive them. After the surrender I was stricken down with fever 
and sent to the fever hospital. On August 8 I left Cuba for Montauk Point, 
where I was given sick leave, and returned home to Buffalo." 

The experience of the Sixth Regulars was thus told by one of them : 
" We had a hot time in Cuba, any way you look at it. We landed in Cuba 
over 800 strong, but there are only about 425 of us here to-day. Some men 
lie dead in the trenches at Santiago, over 200 were wounded, about 30 killed; 
IO of our officers were badly wounded. The rest of us are sick, 100 in the 
hospitals of New York alone. 

" They were mighty plucky fellows, those Rough Riders, but a little too 
15 



226 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



reckless, and if it wasn't for us and the Twenty-fourth it would have been all 
up for them that day. We were on the left of them and the Twenty-fourth 
on the right. Those colored fellows were the lions, afraid of nothing ; the 
hotter the fire the greater the sport for them. 

" Well, the toughest day of the lot was on the third day of July. All 
night long we slept in the open, rains falling and drenching us to the skin. 
Up we got to march. It was five o'clock in the morning when we started. 
That march up San Juan Hill was awful, but those were our orders, and up 
we went. There they were, the Spaniards, intrenched behind a line of 
trenches, another line of blockhouses, and another line of barbed wire. Up 
we went ; some of us fell down worn out, dead tired ; but our orders were to 
take that hill and we took it, somehow, — God only knows how ! " 

Brave Colored Troops. 

The two colored cavalry regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Regulars, were 
among the most popular soldiers in Cuba. They are quiet, well-mannered, 
cheerful fellows, these negro troopers, and far sooner than any of the other 
Cuban veterans they recovered their spirits and vitality after the campaign. 
In an encampment made up chiefly of the sick and half sick, it was inspiring 
to meet on the road a group of these soldiers jogging along in lively conver- 
sation, their white teeth gleaming in smiles. As to their abilities in battle 
but one opinion was expressed, and almost invariably in the same words : 

" Those colored chaps fought like devils." 

Many are the stories of their prowess, told by the men of the other regi- 
ments. A company of the Tenth went into action singing. Two men 01 
another company enlivened their comrades during a very trying halt under 
fire by executing a double-flop dance, to which the whole company began 
presently to clap out the time ; their officers, meanwhile, being wisely blind 
and deaf to these rather unusual tactics, The Rough Riders were enthu- 
siastic over the Ninth regiment. When Roosevelt's men had made their rush 
up San Juan Hill they found themselves in a very bad position, pressed by a 
superior force of the enemy on both flanks and in front. It is generally 
admitted that they could not have held their position but for the splendid 
charge of the black men to their support. After the worst of the fighting was 
over, a Rough Rider, finding himself near one of the colored troopers, walked 
up and grasped his hand, saying : 

" We've got you fellows to thank for getting us out of a bad hole." 

" Dat's all right, boss," said the negro, with a broad grin. " Dat's all 
right. It's all in de fam'ly. We call ouahselves de Colored Rough Riders." 

" It was a matter of considerable doubt," an officer of the regular infan- 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



227 



try says, " whether the colored troops would acquit themselves well. We of 
the army knew them to be good Indian fighters, but this Cuban business was 
no more like Indian fighting than a game of marbles is like billiards. Pro- 
bably it was because I am from the South that I didn't think much of the 
colored regiments, but having seen those fellows in action I've changed my 
mind completely. They were the best, the readiest, the most cheerful, and, I 
believe, the deadliest fighters in the war. In the charge up the hill a volun- 
teer who had got separated from his company, who looked pretty badly 
rattled, got caught in the rush and carried along. A big fellow behind him 
kept spurring him on and trying to encourage him, but the man was badly 
rattled and tried to get away. That settled him with the troopers, who began 
to guy him, asking his name and address for purposes of identification, and 
assuring him that he would be readily distinguished among the other dead on 
account of his color. Presently a Mauser bullet clipped the sleeve of the man 
next to him. The trooper turned to the volunteer : 

" ' Honey, dat bullet was a-callin' youah name, shuah/ he said. 

No Shrinking Under Fire. 

" They tell me that the volunteer finally plucked up his spirits and fought 
so well that the negroes assured him that in the next battle he'd be an honor 
to any regiment. One thing I noticed about the negro troopers was that they 
evinced less inclination to duck when the bullets whistled over them than the 
other soldiers showed. A sergeant explained it to me this way : 

" 'Wen de bullet go along it say, " Pi yi-yi ! Pi-yi-yi !" Nobody am' 
goin' to min' dat. But de shrapnel, dat's different. Dat say, " Oo-oo 00-00 ; 
I want yeh, I want yeh, I want yeh, mah honey !" Dat's w'at makes a man's 
head kindah shrink like between his shouldahs.' 

" However, I didn't see any shrinking that could be identified as such 
among those men. There wasn't an instant during the fighting that they 
didn't look as if they were in the very place of all places on earth where they 
most wished to be." 

At Camp Montauk the colored men assiduously cultivated the gentle 
arts of peace. Every night they sat outdoors and sang. The Ninth men 
staked out a baseball diamond on the flat near the Life-saving Station and 
played a most tumultuous game of ball, which would have resulted more 
definitely if in the third inning the runs hadn't piled up so high that the scorer 
collapsed with exhaustion and fell asleep. As no two of the players agreed 
on the score, the game was declared " no contest." The Tenth Cavalryman 
who had his guitar with him was the centre of a large audience every after- 
noon, and he was hustling around trying to persuade some of the banjo and 



228 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



mandolin players to beg or borrow instruments which could be sent to them, 
so that he could get up a string orchestra. Certain sportsmen of the Ninth 
organized cross-country hunts after the frog, which abounds in the marshes. 
They stalked him to his lair, and then swathed him with the unpoetic but 
substantial club, whereupon he croaked his last croak and rendered up his 
muscular legs to make a dainty feast. Two hunters who beat along the little 
stream flowing back of the Signal Corps bagged no less than forty-seven 
batrachians, not counting six toads which they killed by mistake. On the 
whole, the colored soldiers got more out of camp life than any one else in 
the place. 

Some Trouble About Fires. 

A volunteer whose regiment was brigaded with the Twenty-fourth 
(colored) Infantry through the Cuban campaign said that the " niggers were 
better Christians than the white men." 

" We had a lot of trouble about fire wood on the island," said he. It 
was hard to find, and it often had to be carried two miles to our quarters. 
Gathering it was a heavy job for our fellows, for most of them were pretty 
weak on account of the fever. The fellows in the white regiment in our com- 
mand were a little better off than we were — they were regulars, you know — 
and managed to have fires pretty regularly. If we had had to depend on 
them we would have put cold rations in our stomachs all the time. 

" ' Say, old man/ I heard said to them, ' let's cook a little stuff on your 
fire when you're through with it; won't you, please?' 

" And what do you think they'd say ? 

" ' Aw, go hang,' one of 'em said to me. ' We ain't got enough for 
ourselves/ 

" It was a good deal to ask of a man, I'll admit. Why, I've seen half a 
dozen sick men wait around a fire until the men who owned it were through, 
and then make a rush for the embers, like seven dogs after one bone. But 
the niggers were different ; they had bigger hearts. They stood the campaign 
in great shape, you' know, and it wasn't much for them to gather firewood. 
They'd build a fire six feet long, and they never crowded a poor devil of a 
weak man out if he wanted to use it. 

" ' Gimme a chance at your fire ? ' the fellows would ask them. 

" ' Co'se/ they'd say, ' what yo' think we made a big fire fo', anyway? 
T' cook our own grub o'ny ? Come on, honey.' 

" That's just the way they'd say it, and as jolly as you like. The niggers 
are all right; and I've got a place in my heart for the Twenty-fourth Infantry, 
I tell you." 

The men tell many instances of like kindnesses. They do not begrudge 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



229 



credit to the colored soldiers for their bravery through the campaign. And 
the negroes appreciate this show of good feeling. " Why," one oi them said 
not long ago, "them Rough Riders are like brothers. I've et with 'em; I've 
slep' with 'em; I've fit with 'em, and I feel as if I was one of 'em.' 

A regular who came into close contact with the Ninth cavalry (colored) 
said : 

" I remember once we were standing in the bushes along the trail when 
the Ninth came by us. The men were in great spirits— laughing and talking^ 
though the fight was just a little way before them. 

" ' Hello, boy,' one big fellow yelled to me, ' any fruit on the trees 'round 
yere ?' 

u 1 1 ain't seen any,' a man behind me says. ' An' I ain't looking for 
any — not in my state.' 

" Well, the niggers burst out laughing, and they kept it up — ' haw, haw, 
haw.' 

" ' What kind of fruit ?' says I. 

" ' Oh, sharpshooters/ says the big man that spoke to me. ' Haw, haw, 
haw.' I've heard they found some." 

It has often been said that a negro regiment must be well officered and 
well " pushed," or it will not give a good account of itself on the firing line. 
The white privates at Montauk, however, seem to think that the " nigger is a 
fighter " for the pure love of it. 

Over a Shot-Swept Hill. 

" In the trenches at San Juan," said a volunteer corporal, " the Twenty- 
fourth relieved us, and we them. Lying in the trenches there was hard and 
nervous work, and it was a happy time for the squad when the relief came. 
I've heard our men kick when they had to go into the fight again, but I never 
heard a colored soldier do it. It was coming hard one evening, and I guess 
the colored fellows knew it and thought we might need a little support, though 
things hadn't got critical at all. All at once I was startled by two big men 
scrambling in nearly on top of us. They were colored soldiers. 

" ' What the — — ?' the man I was with began. 

" ' All right, boys, don't get asca'd; it's all right. We thought yo' might 
want a niggah er two, an' we come up t' see.' 

" ' Come up,' said I, ' over the hill ?' The bullets were skimming over our 
trenches, you know, and sweeping the top of the hill behind which the reserves 
were lying. 

" ' Co'se, we didn't come nohow else,' says one. ' There was three of us 
sta'ted.' 



230 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



" ' Where's the other one ?' says I. 

" ' We carried him back,' says they, ' an' come on ag'in.' " 
This volunteer comrade told the story of a negro sergeant whose name 
he did not know : 

" It was in that same fight," said he, " and, as bunkie here has told you, 
we took turns in the trenches with the Twenty-fourth. You must understand 
that we held both sides of the hill, and that the trenches were high up on the 
one side, and the place where the reserves were pretty well down on the 
other ; the Spaniards were firing on our line from the bottom of the hill, so 
the bullets went over the crest low down, and it was a darned dangerous 
place to be. When we were relieved we had to get over that spot to reach 
our reserve position. There was no cover, and the Spaniards had the 
range down fine, and, what's more, they knew just about when they could 
get us there. 

" Well, there was a blockhouse on the top of the hill, with a door in the 
side of it. That door was in sight from both sides; so it took a nervy man 
to dodge in or out of it. One morning, when we were about to go back to 
rest, a negro sergeant, who was in charge of the relief squad, dodged in from 
behind without getting hit. We were waiting to make a run for it when we 
saw him. The Spaniards caught sight of him as he ran in, and fired hot. 
Out he jumped and yelled : 

" ' Now's our chance, boys ; come on.' Then he got in again. 

"A couple of the boys ran out and over, and the shooting went on. 
They were firing in volleys; and every time that sergeant would hear a volley 
he'd be out waving his hand and yelling : 

" ' They can't hit yo' ; they can't hit yo\ Now's your chance.' 

" I thought I'd see him drop every time; but they couldn't hit him. I 
tell you, he helped us out. He was like a base-ball coacher, trying to rattle 
the other side, and getting his own men around the bases. It was so like it 
that I could pretty near hear old Bill Joyce yelling: ' Lead off there; lead off! 
Now slide ! slide !' And I swear I could see the old diamond at the Polo 
Grounds. Well, we only lost one man wounded." 

A Big Fellow's Bracelets. 

A strapping negro, who had a silver bracelet on his thick, black wrist, 
and another in his pocket, "because it was too small to go 'round," and some 
gold and silver trinkets hanging on his bosom, was riding toward the station 
on a mule wagon at camp. He was a strong man, with a slight moustache 
and a woolly chin beard, and he was as black as ebony. 

" See that? '' he said, taking the small bracelet from his pocket, " I got 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



231 



that from a Cuban lady. She was one of these re — re — recon — cen — trados. 
We were on a forced march, and she come along — and stood by the road. 
She grabbed me by the arm, and made signs that she was hungry. Then 
she handed me this thing out. I had six hardtack, and gave her three. And 
say, she kissed my hand. I'm keeping the jewelry for my sister. That's 
how I got it; and that's how lots of the boys come by theirs. What you 
laffin' at man ? Eh ! " 

" Didn't you see that mule wag its ears ? " 

"Oh! huh!" 

" It was after the fight at Caney," said another witness of the colored 
soldiers' bravery, " the boys were all tired out, you know; they had been 
keyed up to concert pitch so long that when it was all over and the relaxa- 
tion came they were like dishrags. Everything was quiet and only now and 
then would a Mauser bullet sing in our ears, for the sharpshooters were still 
at their deadly work. It was necessary that they should be dislodged from 
their perches in the trees, and to bring about such an end a means was 
adopted that was original and grimly humorous. 

" With us, before Caney, was the Tenth United States Cavalry, a regi- 
ment of colored troops, seasoned fighters, and as brave and soldierly a crowd 
of men as ever snapped a Krag-Jorgensen. Upon them devolved the duty 
of cleaning out the sharpshooters. They were ordered to take up their rifles 
and go out gunning for the Spaniards, singly and in little parties of two and 
three and four. 

Looking for "Squirrels." 

" When the order was given these colored boys let out a yell of delight 
that it seems to me must have been heard in Havana. They started helter- 
skelter from the camp. The delight they took in the work was deadly hu- 
morous. It was simply a ' coon hunt' or a ' squirrel shooting bee ' to them. 
One would duck in and out among the bushes and wriggle on his body 
through the grass, his eye fixed on some tree or other. He would spot a 
sharpshooter half concealed up there in the branches, and creeping up would 
pop a bullet at him. The aim was, in every case so far as we were able to 
learn, astonishly accurate. Down from out the tree would tumble the Span- 
iard, and the colored trooper would laugh and shout across to a mate across 
the field: ' Dar's annuder squirrel, Gawge ! ' 

" Then he would wriggle along a few rods farther and bring down 
another. The sport of picking ofT those sharpshooters was better than a coon 
hunt in Georgia to the colored troopers, and in less than half an hour they 
had knocked out eighteen of the Spaniards. When they came back to camp 
they sat around for an hour telling each other how they'd fetched 'em, and 



232 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



they'd laugh till their sides ached in recounting the gyrations the sharp- 
shooters would go through in the air and when they struck the ground. 
After that the Tenth Cavalry came to be known as the ' squirrel hunters ' 
among the other soldiers." 

Our colored troops gave an excellent account of themselves at Santiago, 
and proved that in fighting qualities they are inferior to none. Lewis Bow- 
man of the Tenth Cavalry, who had two ribs broken by a bursting Spanish 
shell before San Juan, said, after describing the landing and marching to 
the front : 

" The Rough Riders had gone off in great glee, bantering us and good- 
naturedly boasting that they were going ahead to lick the Spaniards without 
any trouble, and advising us to remain where we were until they returned, 
and they would bring back some Spanish heads as trophies. When we heard 
firing in the distance our captain remarked, that some one ahead was doing 
good work. The firing became so heavy and regular that our officers, with- 
out orders, decided to move forward and reconnoitre. 

" When we got to where we could see what was going on, we found that 
the Rough Riders had marched down a sort of a canon between the moun- 
tains. The Spaniards had men posted at the entrance, and as soon as the 
Rough Riders had gone in had about closed up the rear, and were firing 
upon the Rough Riders from both the front and the rear. Immediately the 
Spaniards in the rear received a volley from our men of the Tenth Cavalry 
without command. The Spaniards were afraid we were going to flank them, 
and rushed out of ambush, in front of the Rough Riders, throwing up their 
hands and shouting, 'Don't shoot; we are Cubans.' 

Fighting under Great Difficulties. 

" The Rough Riders thus let them escape, and gave them a chance to 
take a better position ahead. During all this time the men were all in tall 
grass, and could not see even each other, and I fear the Rough Riders in the 
rear shot many of their men in front, mistaking them for Spanish soldiers. 
By this time the Tenth Cavalry had fully taken in the situation, and, adopting 
the method employed in fighting Indians, were able to turn the tide of battle 
and repulse the Spaniards. 

" I was in the fight of July 1st, and it was in that fight that I received 
my wound. We were under fire in that fight about forty-eight hours, and 
were without food and with but little water. We had been cut off from our 
pack train, as the Spanish sharpshooters shot our mules as soon as they came 
anywhere near the lines, and it was impossible to move supplies. Very soon 
after the firing began our colonel was killed and the most of our other officers 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



233 



were killed or wounded, so that the greater part of that desperate battle was 
fought by some of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry without officers ; or, at least, 
if there were any officers around, we neither saw them nor heard their com- 
mands. The last command I heard our captain give was: ' Boys, when you 
hear my whistle, lie flat down on the ground.' 

" Whether he ever whistled or not I do not know. The next move we 
made was when, with a terrific yell, we charged up to the Spanish trenches 
and bayoneted and clubbed them out of their places in a jiffy. Some of the 
men of our regiment say that the last command they heard was : ' To the 
rear ! ' But this command they utterly disregarded and charged to the front 
until the day was won, and the Spaniards, those not dead in the trenches, fled 
back to the city. 

Raising the Stars and Stripes. 

"At San Juan it was I who had the pleasure to take some of those block- 
houses you hear so much about, and it was I who had the privilege of hauling 
down the Spanish flag and planting the Stars and Stripes in its place. The 
sides of the blockhouse gave absolutely no place for a foothold or to catch 
with the hands. One member of the Seventy- first New York placed his old 
Springfield rifle on the ground, and, by placing my foot on the hammer, I 
climbed upon it and was pushed up on the stock to the roof of the house. 
After I had hauled down the Spanish flag, and was about to plant the Stars 
and Stripes, a bullet came whizzing in my direction. It cut a hole through 
my hat, burning my head slightly. That's what I call a close shave. 

" In the charge before San Juan my twin brother, who was fighting at my 
side, was wounded, and I could stop only long enough to drag him off the 
firing line. I returned to the fight, and in a few minutes a shell burst directly 
among us, and a portion of it broke two of my ribs. 

" Our men didn't care at all about the small shot, but they feared the 
shells from the large Spanish guns, and there was often a lively struggle 
among us over the proprietorship of a particular tree to which several of us 
would flee at once for refuge. We were greatly worried by the sharpshooters. 
In going toward the front I noticed at one point that several of our men and 
officers were shot, and that no one seemed able to locate the marksman. I 
concluded that I should not go around that way, so I turned in another direc- 
tion. As I went near an old tree I noticed that the dirt had been washed 
from around its roots. Happening to look under it I spied a Spanish sharp- 
shooter. He it was who had been picking off our men. I slipped up behind 
him and whacked him on the neck, breaking it. Our men were no longer 
molested in that locality." 



234 



HEROISM OF THE REGULARS. 



Willis, of the Ninth Cavalry, told of his experience in picking off a sharp- 
shooter who was hidden in a cocoanut tree. 

" They had been getting our officers in great shape," he said, " and we 
couldn't for the life of us locate a man or men who were doing it. Finally a 
bullet struck one of my comrades near me. I decided that it was about time 
to look after that sharpshooter, so I kept a sharp lookout and all at once I 
saw the part of a head peeping out from behind a bunch of cocoanuts. I drew 
a bead on it and instantly a Spaniard tumbled out of that tree. As a memento 
of the occasion I hold in my hand a watch with an iron case and a brass 
chain, which I took from the man who had played such havoc among our 
men." 

"For Heaven's Sake Don't Go Up that Hill." 

William H. Brown, of the Tenth Cavalry, said : " A foreign officer, 
standing near our position when we started out to make that charge, was 
heard to say, ' Men, for heaven's sake, don't go up that hill. It will be 
impossible for human beings to take that position. You can't stand the fire.' 
Notwithstanding this, with a terrific yell we rushed up to the enemy's works, 
and you know the result. Men who saw him say that when this official saw 
us make the charge he turned his back upon us and wept." 

One of the men, in answering a question as to the equipment of the 
Spaniards and Americans, spoke of the difference between Springfield, Krag- 
Jorgensen, and Mauser rifles, and incidentally gave a bit of interesting fact. 

" We were near the Seventy-first New York," he said, " who were at a 
great disadvantage, owing to the fact that they were fighting with the old 
Springfield rifle — ' old smoke guns,' we call them. Every time they fired a 
volley the Spaniards, by the volume of smoke from their guns, could easily 
locate the American shooters. And how the Mauser bullets were flying and 
doing execution among the members of the Seventy-first ! However, we took 
advantage of this, and under cover of the smoke from these old smoke guns, 
upon which the Spaniards had concentrated their fire, we were able, without 
attracting much attention, to creep almost upon the Spanish works before 
drawing their fire." 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Stories of Camp, Field and Hospital by the Volunteers. 

UARTERMASTER SERGEANT JAMES S. LONG, Seventy- 
first New York volunteers, was shot through the thigh. Of the 
conduct of the regiment he said : 

" Our officers were exposed to the murderous fire of the sharp- 
shooters in the trees. It was exceedingly dangerous to stand even half up- 
right, and most of us were flat on our stomachs during all of the tir^e we 
were held back. Colonel Downs, Major Keck, Captain RafTerty and Lieu- 
tenant Blauvelt moved about at their full height constantly, and every one of 
them faced possible death without the slightest tremor. 

" Colonel Downs stood upright repeatedly in a perfect shower of bullets, 
and used his glasses as coolly as though he were looking at a landscape from 
a summer hotel piazza. Major Keck walked along the lines encouraging the 
men, and exposing himself without a show of hesitation. I expected to see 
the Colonel shot at any moment, and Major Keck led in person that fearful 
charge up San Juan hill. 

" There was so much bravery shown that it is hard to single out any 
particular feat, but the officers I have named showed themselves to be with- 
out fear and obedient to the highest sense of duty. As to the men in 
the ranks, you know something about what their position was, and, consider- 
ing the fact that they were entirely without any previous experience of the 
kind, I think their steadiness was remarkable." 

Thomas J. Dixon, Jr., a schoolboy, who cast aside his books to enlist in 
the Seventy-first regiment, and went through the hottest fighting of the war, 
returning home with two wounds, resumed his studies among his school- 
fellows. While on furlough he attended school every day in uniform, and 
went through his recitations as calmly as if he had never heard the singing 
of Mausers or felt the stunning blow of bullets. 

The outbreak of the war roused his ardor, and he gained his parents' 
consent to enlist, joining Company A of the Seventy-first, Captain Townsend, 
on April 30th. He was at Camp Black, at Lakeland, at Tampa, and over 
the battle grounds of Cuba. 

His company, he said, advanced on San Juan hill on July 1st, on the left 
of the Sixteenth infantry, forded the creek and finally occupied a small house 
on the slope. Bullets rained upon the little structure, One man was killed 

235 



236 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



and nine were wounded before the troops left the place that night. They 
moved toward the right and then laid down to sleep. They were awakened 
about one o'clock in the morning to dig trenches. Dixon was one of a de- 
tail of twelve men who went to the rear to get packs which had been left 
behind. They returned at dusk. 

Struck Twice by Bullets. 

" When we got back," he said, " we were tired and wet, having forded 
the creek twice. I dried myself at a campfire and lay down. Firing woke 
us up about ten o'clock, and Major Whittle ordered Company A to the firing 
line. We started for the trenches, and I felt a blow just behind my right 
ear. It stunned me for a moment and I staggered. Putting my hand to my 
head, I found that the bullet had only grazed me, but it bled pretty freely." 

There is a white scar on Dixon's head to show how narrow was his 
escape. 

" The bullets were coming thick when we reached the trench," he said. 
" For some of us there was no room, and we lay down on the ground. I had 
hardly stretched myself when I felt a sharp blow on the right shoulder. The 
bullet entered at the top and came out at the back. 

(i I got up and walked back a short distance and met one oi 2he hospital 
corps. He tied up my head and my shoulder pretty well, but bandaged them 
so tightly that I was dizzy. * I stayed near the trenches until ten o'clock in 
the morning of Sunday, July 3d, when Major Whittle ordered me to the rear. 
Two men helped me to walk to the emergency hospital, and later I went in an 
ambulance to the division hospital, where my wounds were dressed for the 
first time. They started me for Siboney, then, in an army wagon, but I 
couldn't stand it. I got out and walked, and finally reached Siboney." 

Dixon went to Tampa in the transport Cherokee, and thence to Fort 
McPherson, Ga., where, eleven days after he left Siboney, the wound in his 
shoulder was again dressed. It was then in pretty bad shape. He stayed at 
Fort McPherson three weeks, and then came home. His wound was at- 
tended afterwards by the surgeons at Fordham Hospital. 

When school opened young Dixon gathered his books together and 
went back, as a matter of course. The presence of a wounded soldier among 
the pupils would have caused enough sensation, but when he was one of 
themselves, the studies were almost demoralized. Had he had a thousand 
buttons and bullets, he could not have satisfied the demands for souvenirs, 
and the number of times he was asked how it felt to be shot would not bear 
calculation. 

Lieutenant Herbert Hyde True, of Company L, Seventy-first regiment, 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



237 



New York, the first man to ascend San Juan Hill, on July 1st, tells an inter- 
esting story. Before Santiago could be besieged San Juan Hill must be 
taken. On its summit was a Spanish blockhouse, while artillery was so 
mounted that a deadly fire could be poured down its slopes. Trenches had 
been dug, and barbed wire fences had been strung to impede approach. The 
dense underbrush also afforded Spanish sharpshooters places of concealment 
that could not be detected. 

To prepare the way up this hill for the advance of troops not only ' 
required daring, but physical strength and endurance. General Hawkins 
selected Lieutenant True to command the pioneer corps of the First Brigade 
of the First Division, composed of picked men from the Seventy-first regi- 
ment, the Sixth and the Sixteenth Infantry. This advance up the mountain 
side was the fiercest engagement of the war. 

Spanish Sharpshooters in the Underbrush. 

"I remember," said the Lieutenant, "that when we started I called out 
to the boys : ' Come on, pioneers ! We've got to take this hill. Let's do our 
duty, no matter what happens.' The hill was very steep ; so steep that we 
had to cling to the long grass to keep ourselves from falling backward. The 
Sixteenth and Sixth Infantry and the Seventy-first regiment fellows circled to 
our left and right flanks. The higher up we went the more dangerous became 
our path. 

" When we left Saville we started in column of fours, but we had to go 
in Indian file up the mountain road, over brooks and through ravines. We 
got along at a fair pace until we struck thick underbrush that was almost 
impenetrable, behind which were concealed Spanish sharpshooters with Mauser 
rifles and smokeless powder. 

" We knew our position was dangerous and the quicker we got out of it 
the better. The quickest way was to go ahead and get at the Spaniards by 
cutting the barbed wire of the trocha. It was like trying to find a needle in 
a haystack, this locating the Spanish sharpshooters, for while their bullets 
kept singing in our ears, we couldn't see them, hidden as they were by the 
trees and bushes. 

"I saw an opening and we rushed through it. I called out: 'We've got 
so far and we'll go the rest of the way.' The boys cheered, and on we went 
with a rush. The Spanish artillery was at work in earnest, but every time we 
saw shrapnel coming the men would shout 'low bridge,' and we'd throw our- 
selves flat. It was pretty warm work. Three men were shot beside me, but 
I was lucky enough to get off without being hit. 

" The Spanish put up a good fight. I'll give them credit for that. The 



238 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



big balloon that followed the Seventy-first along the charge helped to locate 
our men, and their fire, although generally wild, was sometimes effective. 
The Americans had really underestimated their fighting ability. They knew 
how to shoot, and they had the advantage of knowing every inch of the 
ground. 

" Still, they gave way when our men charged, and retreated in a hurry. 
Our pioneer corps cut the wires with clippers and axes, and not a man was 
killed. I was the first man to reach the summit of San Juan hill, and I think 
it was our quick action that saved our lives. The Spaniards were not expect- 
ing such an impetuous charge, and we took them by surprise. 

" The greatest strain came upon us the night after the first day's battle- 
I didn't sleep a wink, but spent the night looking after my men. The smell 
from rotting vegetation accumulated for years was almost overpowering as we 
lay in the trenches, but there was not a murmur. The second day's fighting 
was really more exciting than the first, but we had got used to being under 
fire and didn't mind it. Bullets flew about us like hailstones, and men fell all 
around us. We had to cross a couple of creeks, in which we waded waist 
deep against strong currents, and it was at the creek near the field hospital 
that the Spaniards did the most damage. Even our wounded and the Red 
Cross nurses carrying disabled men were shot down. 

" I want particularly to praise the Twenty-fourth Infantry, colored. They 
did everything in their power to help the Seventy first boys, and some of 
them even gave up their places and rations to our men." 

Sang " Yankee Doodle." 

Quartermaster's Sgt. J. S. Long, who received a bullet wound in the thigh, 
in a letter descriptive of his experiences at the charge of San Juan hill said : 

" I was shot by a Mauser bullet in the right thigh, just below the hip 
bone — the ball going right through my leg, just grazing the bone. It is heal- 
ing up nicely now and I am able to hobble around. The transport which 
brought us from Cuba was not prepared for us; we had nothing to eat out of 
or to eat with except the old tomato cans and corned beef tins, which we had 
to beg for from the cook. I suppose you have read all about the charge up 
San Juan hill and about the bravery of the Seventy-first boys. 

" The battle commenced at about half-past five on the morning of July 
1st. We were obliged to lie flat in the weeds and creep, inch by inch, to 
places of shelter or high ground. In front it was impossible to see ten feet 
for cactus plants and wild and dense growth of foliage. Then at noon the 
artillery opened up strong, and under their heavy fire we silently advanced. 
Men dropped on all sides ; groans and death rattles were heard at almost 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



239 



every step. Officers were not at their posts, as a great many had been killed 
and wounded. Our company became scattered, but they never stopped firing. 
It was a soldiers' fight. Where any one went the others followed. 

" The Sixth, Sixteenth and Seventy-first were all mixed up together, but 
we took up the song ' Yankee Doodle,' and it gave us new life. We dashed 
up the hill, and in the face of a blinding, whistling storm of fire and bullets 
up we went. We never stopped. The Spaniards lost their heads ; the block- 
house was ours. Just then I was shot, and as I went down I saw our flag 
floating out grandly over the scene where so many brave American lads went 
down." 

James Carroll, a private in Company G, Seventy-first New York, was 
wounded twice in the right hand in the charge up San Juan hill on July 1st. 
He said his battalion was on post duty on the Wednesday night previous, 
and that four times during the night the guard was called out by pickets, 
who took moving land crabs for Spaniards. The big crabs flopped about in 
a way that resembled the walk of a man, so far as the sound went. The 
pickets would look out among the bushes in vain to see who was coming ; 
they would challenge, and, receiving no reply, would fire in the direction the 
squad seemed to come from. The guard would rush out in answer to the 
shots, and, after a search in the bushes, would find the crabs. Some of the 
boys were inclined to laugh at the pickets, but the officers and the Cuban 
scouts advised them to shoot whenever they heard sounds, as the Spaniards 
knew the " crab walk " and would fool the pickets if they got careless and 
thought every sound came from the crabs. The Spaniards did not fire much 
on the pickets. 

Long Fight With Sharpshooters. 

Carroll said that on the Thursday evening preceding the first battle the 
battalion to which he belonged was marched back to a village, the name of 
which he could not recall, and given three days' rations. It took till twelve 
o'clock to get all the men supplied. Then the boys laid down on the ground 
for two hours' sleep. At two o'clock they were called and put in motion on 
the eight-mile march toward San Juan hill. The Spaniards soon began firing 
on the marching soldiers. 

The fighting began at eight o'clock, and it was hot till five o'clock in the 
afternoon. About two o'clock the Seventy-first boys made a charge up the 
hill at San Juan. Half way up the hill they received a hot volley from the 
Spaniards, but nobody wanted to run. They kept steadily on. Carrcll was 
shot in this charge. Both bullets came practically at once, and he knew 
nothing of either till he felt blood spurting. He became weak, and was or- 
dered by his captain to go to the rear. 



240 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



Most of the men who were wounded did not wait to be carried back. 
They simply rolled down the hill. Carroll walked to the hospital, but the 
doctors were so busy with men who were more seriously wounded than he 
that he went on back till he reached a hospital in the rear. 

John E. Keller, of Company A, Seventy-first regiment, was wounded in 
the right hand in the San Juan charge. The Spaniards left their intrench- 
ments when the boys made their charge, and left ammunition, which was 
given to the Cubans. Keller said he was shot at as he was going to the rear 
after being wounded, but as he was carrying his gun the Spaniard couldn't 
be blamed. He saw Spaniards firing at our troops from windows in Santiago. 
He thought some of these were women. 

F. C. Kuehnle, of Company D, of the same regiment, received two bullet 
holes through his hat, and said one of them knocked it ofT his head. In his 
opinion, seventy -five men must have been ki.led in the Seventy-first at San- 
tiago. It was almost impossible for one to keep track of one's friends in the 
regiment, he said, because details were constantly taken from one company 
to go in another, or to assist some other army organization. He fought with 
Company F, although he was a member of Company D. He said some of 
the boys at the front were short of rations, mainly because they did not take 
care of what they had. 

F. A. Scandlen, of Company G, Seventh United States infantry, was just 
putting his bugle to his mquth to sound the call to cease firing when the 
Spaniards made an unexpected charge, and he was shot in the hand. He 
dropped the bugle. 

Eager to Get into Action. 

Coming as a message from the grave, a letter written by Corporal G. 
Immen, Company C, Seventy-first New York volunteers, was received by a 
friend a few days after the brave Corporal had fallen in the attack on Santi- 
ago. Telling, as it does, the eagerness of the soldiers to get into action and 
the hardships theyjwere forced to put up with, the letter is of unusual in- 
terest. 

When the letter was received the writer lay dead upon the battlefield, 
according to reports from the front. This is the letter in part : 

" Firmeza, Cuba, Saturday, June 25th, 1898. 
" Dear Friend : — We arrived at this place two days ago, but did not 
land until they bombarded the place. We disembarked Thursday midnight, 
under the searchlights from the liner St. Louis We landed on a beach on 
which there is a large cocoanut farm, and indulged in this fruit for supper, or, 
rather, breakfast. Got little sleep that night, and woke up tired that morning, 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



241 



after being sixteen days on the transport Vigilancia without much exercise. 
It is very much like work. Yesterday (Friday) morning we got a hurry call 
'to arms,' and grasped our guns and a hundred rounds, and went off with our 
brigade, the Sixth and Sixteenth United States infantry and Seventy-first New 
York volunteers, to reinforce ' Teddy's Terrors,' who had got into a muss. 

Looking for Fight and Got It. 

" The First and Tenth cavalry were with Teddy's regiment. We went 
on double time through the mountains and along shrub paths, through which 
one could not see twenty-five yards ahead. Roosevelt's people were looking 
for a fight, and unluckily they got into a trap and were fired on by the enemy 
fifty yards distant. The Spaniards retreated, and we were kept on a run after 
the outfit for six miles, but they finally got away. The paths are so narrow, 
the shrubbery so thick, that not more than two hundred men could get into 
the formation at a time, and it is a cinch for the Spaniards to ambush us. They 
fired on the ranks of our people and ran as the cavalry fired. 

"After the tussle our troops found two heaps of dead dagoes, fifteen in 
one and six in the other. We came back without having had a fight. The 
heat was fierce, and I myself came near dropping. This is hell for fair. The 
fellows threw their rolls, blankets and shelter tents away on the march. 

" This morning we have discarded everything we did not actually need. 
I was on picket duty this morning. It's a tough country. One has to be 
very careful, as the shrubbery is so thick that a fellow could get up to within 
ten yards of you before you could see him. I had my gun loaded and my 
ammunition handy so I could do my part if it came to anything. 

" We have not received any mail since June 10th, so I am almost dead 
to get to New York, and to see what is going on. Well, I guess I'll close 
this and hope to be able to write you after our next scrap. I'll do my share 
to avenge the Maine. For God and country, as ever your friend. 

" George." 

The letter was written with pencil on old sheets taken from a ledger of 
the Juragua Iron Works, and the envelope was one found in the building. 

Private Charles P. F. Cushing, Company C, Seventy-first Regiment, a 
young clerk in the Produce Exchange, was killed before Santiago. He was 
a brother of James A. Cushing, a clerk in the Post Office, to whom he 
addressed his last letter, which is here reproduced : 

" Firmeza, Cuba, June 25. 

" My Dear Brother : I have not time to write but one letter home, so 
decide to send it to you, for at last we have become engaged in actual war- 
fare, and I have heard the moans of the dying and the cries for the dead. 
16 



242 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



Yesterday Roosevelt's Rough Riders were caught in a trap, and but for the 
timely interference of reinforcements would have been wiped out of existence. 
Altogether, I counted sixty wounded, and I saw five dead. I am, however, 
informed there are many more. Yesterday afternoon I was detailed after the 
battle to help carry in the wounded, and last night was on picket duty, and 
this morning we were away at seven o'clock over the mountains after the 
Spaniards. 

"We have just returned, and are to start out again at a quarter to six, 
and : hall continue on until we come to Santiago, which is but seven miles 
from here. This town, Juragua, we bombarded the day we landed and 
cleaned out the Spaniards intrenched in the hills which abound around here. 
Our soldiers are not up in bushwhacking warfare, and unless we meet the 
Spaniards in open fight we will have a hard time, and I assure you that, 
though the transports expected to carry us in a few days to Havana or Porto 
Rico, they will not do so, for it will take some time to clean the Spaniards out 
of this one spot. We did not have the good fortune to have an actual battle, 
as the Spaniards took flight at our approach and escaped us. 

" A captain of the Rough Riders was killed, and I believe young ' Ham ' 
Fish is reported dead. I cannot tell the exact number of dead and wounded, 
but expect a full report before we leave to-night. Many regulars have suc- 
cumbed to the heat and to the Spaniards' bullets, but the Seventy-first remains 
intact to a man, for how long the Lord only knows. However, they seem to 
be able to stand more hardship than the regulars. We have thrown away 
blankets, coats, underwear — everything but the clothes on our backs, ammu- 
nition, canteen and rifle — and carry nothing not absolutely necessary. The 
heat is terrific, but the nights are cool and we sleep in the open air, just where 
we find ourselves. 

In the Deserted Iron Works. 

" We are now in the Juragua Iron Works, which were blown to pieces 
by the American ^ar ships. It is a very extensive establishment, and the 
proprietor and his mployees fled for their lives, leaving books and all the 
office stationery anc ledgers scattered around. This is a beautiful country, 
and while fruit is abundant, we are afraid to eat it for fear of poison. The 
photographs of the starving Cubans are correct. Such sickening sights you 
would not want to see. They are terrible. Little children with big swollen 
stomachs and emaciated limbs starving to death. Say, it's awful, and if we 
don't knock the tar out of the Spaniards we will never go back to New 
York. 

" Well, dear brother, good-bye, and though I may not have a chance to 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



write again for some time, don't worry about me. I am well and happy. 
Fondest love to mother and all others at home. Your loving brother, 

" Charlie." 

Donald C. McClelland, private in Company E of the Seventy- first regi- 
ment, who was wounded, was a student in the class of 98 in the College of 
the City of New York, and was studying law, preparatory to entering the 
law school of Columbia College, when the first call for volunteers was made. 
He visited Camp Black, and became so enthusiastic that he telephoned home 
for permission to join Captain Stoddart's command at once. 

Immediately after the battle of La Quasina young McClelland wrote on 
the field the following letter to his mother, dated Siboney, five miles from 
Santiago de Cuba, June 26th : 

"After being over two weeks on the transport, sailing all around Cuba, 
witnessing several bombardments, we landed at this place yesterday morning 
at four o'clock. We had been here but a few hours when the bugle call to 
arms was sounded, and, with over a hundred rounds of ammunition each, we 
started at a double-quick up the mountain. 

Victory for the Rough Riders. 

"We met scores of the wounded and dead as they were brought down 
the mountain, and we redoubled our efforts. The Rough Riders were in a 
terrific engagement with the Spaniards, and we were their support. The 
Rough Riders fought so well, however, that they soon put the Spaniards to 
flight, and we were not called upon to shoot. 

" I had the honor of being the first guard in our regiment in Cuba. I 
patrolled a lonely post all night, every nerve on the alert. No Spaniards 
showed themselves, however, and the night passed without incident. 

" We have received orders to throw away everything but ammunition, 
and we start in a few hours to capture the Spaniards in Santiago. I feel that 
I will get through all right, but if I don't you know that I died like a man." 

Sergeant David Werdenschlag, of Company F, Seventy-first regiment, 
gave an interesting account of his experience at the battle of San Juan Hill. 

"I shall never forget July 1 and 2, 1898," he said. "We were called to 
assemble at three a. m., not knowing that a battle was to be fought on that 
day, although it was daily expected, it being nothing unusual to be called at 
that hour, as all our marches were made during the night, owing to the intense 
heat of the day. We received three days' rations the night previous. We 
left camp, about eight miles from Santiago, expecting to camp further on 
toward the front. At a quarter to seven a cannon shot was fired some dis- 
tance from us ; then another and another, and then we knew that the ' ball ' 



244 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



had opened. On and on we marched, together with thousands of other sol- 
diers ; nearer and nearer could the roar of the cannon be heard. 

u The heat from the sun was intense, and, with our burden of 200 rounds 
of ammunition, three days' rations and haversack roll of tent and blankets, 
and a canteen of water, we struggled along without a halt. At ten A. m. we 
were close upon the enemy. Eleven a. m. everything was confusion. We 
now knew what was before us. The roads were covered with thick brush, 
through which we had to crawl. Bullets were flying thick and fast over 
our heads and shells singing past us. 

" At times we were compelled to lie upon the ground until our march 
was resumed. ' To the front, charge!' was given, and then we went at double 
quick out upon the field, and through brooks, with water up to our armpits. 
The sight was terrible. Men were met with at every step coming back to the 
rear wounded ; others lying about us. Up the hill, with the Spaniards only 
three hundred feet before us, bullets falling all around us thick as raindrops, 
shells bursting over our heads, while our dear comrades were falling fast 
around us, some never to rise again and others crawling to places of safety. 
It was awful ! The battle continued for two days and a half. Many men are 
sick with fever, and if they do not take us out of this very soon there will not 
be many left to tell the tale." 

A D.eath-Dealing Place. 

Frank Gaughran, a private in Company I, Ninth Massachusetts regiment, 
wrote to a friend under date of July 31 that the boys at the front were all ex- 
pecting and praying to be sent away from Santiago. 

" It's a death-dealing place," he said, " and there will be very few of us 
left to tell the tale of Santiago's surrender if the government continues hold- 
ing us here. The prevailing disease is swamp fever. I have already fallen 
a victim to it. The fever was preceded by a painful sore throat. The only 
thing that buoys up the feeling of the men is Cervera's defeat and the sur- 
render of Santiago. I suppose Boston had a great time when they heard the 
news. We had a Fourth of July time here. The officers of the Ninth have 
suffered terribly. Major Grady's death broke us all up. Colonel Bogan has 
gone home sick, and we all fear for his death. 

" This is a pest hole here. In the day you are roasted alive, and at night 
drowned. For several days we camped on the banks of the San Juan river, 
and the dread malaria worked its havoc among the boys. We all have had a 
taste of war. The Spaniards are good fighters, and they made it hot for us 
for a brief period. The Ninth has tried to do its duty. Our awkward rifles 
and dirty powder kept us away from the brunt of the battle. I have had lots 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



245 



of narrow escapes as did all the boys. Bullets and shell flew all around us. 
We soon got used to them, and as long as we escaped being hit we were 
thankful. 

" I will be ashamed to look hardtack and raw bacon in the face when I 
get back. You don't know how dear Boston is to us boys now. When we 
tramp down School street once again, dusty and footsore, we hope that those 
who bade us godspeed will welcome us just as heartily. We did the best we 
knew how. We have given up one good officer on the altar of our country. 

1 hope to keep alive till I see Boston once more, and I think I will, for if 
we are removed from here within a week or so everything will be all right. 
Don't forget to write, as the soldier boys appreciate letters very much, and 
read and re-read them." 

Our Men Suffer Great Loss. 

Mrs. George W. Ott, of Philadelphia, received a letter from her son 
George, a member of Company A, Tenth regiment, United States Volunteers, 
while he was in the hospital at Key West, Fla. In the letter he said : " You 
must not worry about me ; our company was in Cuba since June 24. On July 

2 we went into battle with the Spanish, about eight miles from Santiago. We 
had a terrible fight and had to march through a narrow trail over the moun- 
tain, and through the jungle, and were exposed to the Spanish fire until we 
got up on the line of battle. I cannot describe the scene. There were about 
1000 men, dead and wounded, most of them being killed or wounded before 
they had an opportunity to fire a shot at the enemy, who kept behind the 
intrenchments. 

" We could not get our artillery up in time, and were fighting from 4 
o'clock in the morning of July 1st, till 7 o'clock in the evening. I did not 
get injured until about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when I was shot through 
the left shoulder with a Mauser 44-calibre bullet, which hit my shoulder and 
passed through the shoulder blade. 

" On the following day, with others who were wounded, I was placed on 
a transport and arrived here, at Key West, on July 5th." 

George Andre, a member of Company K, Seventy-first New York regi- 
ment, wrote to his sister as follows : "I am now at the hospital at Fortress 
Monroe, Va., among the wounded, having been shot in the right arm during 
the battle before Santiago. We arrived in Cuba on a transport on June 23d, 
and as we landed the Spanish fired upon us. 

"The day after our arrival the Rough Riders had their skirmish, and we 
were ordered at once to the front to support them. We arrived too late, for 
the Tenth regiment of regulars, colored cavalry, had driven the Spanish back 



246 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



to within seven miles of Santiago. I do not know how many of our men 
were killed or wounded, but there were seventy-five Spanish soldiers killed. 

"As we advanced the heat was so intense that we threw away all our 
clothing except shirts, trousers and shoes. The road we took was narrow, and 
we passed through woods in single file exposed to the enemy's fire. On the 
night after the fight many of the soldiers, on learning that a mail was to be 
sent to New York, wrote cheering letters while lying down in the trenches to 
/relatives and friends at home. Soon after landing we were joined by 5000 
half-starved and poorly-clothed Cubans. I am doing very well in the hospital, 
where everything is made as comfortable as possible." 

General Lawton, in his report after the assault upon and capture of 
El Caney by his division during the first day's fighting, said: 

" It may not be out of place to call attention to this peculiar feature of 
the battle. It was fought against an enemy fortified and intrenched within a 
compact town of stone and concrete houses, some with walls several feet 
thick and supported by a number of covered solid forts, and the enemy con- 
tinued to resist, until nearly every man was killed or wounded, with a seem- 




Balloon Brought Down by Shell. 



Sergeant Bonanzinga, member of the balloon staff of the Fifth Army 
Corps, at Santiago, was in the military balloon, and was the only one hurt 
when it fell riddled by the Spanish. He said : 

" Our ascent was made just before daylight. Major Maxfield, a tele- 
graph operator, and myself were the only persons in the car. We went up 
about 2,000 feet and were held in position by four cables. That height gave 
us an excellent view of the San Juan Hill forts and trenches. We could see 
troops moving cannon into position and hauling ammunition and the bring- 
ing up of infantry from the direction of Santiago. We made careful note of 
everything — the position of every field piece, its approximate calibre, the 
number of troops about the blockhouse, and, in fact, everything our army 
needed to know. This was worked out on charts, and the general informa- 
tion was telegraphed below to the officers. 

, " We had been at work a couple of hours before the enemy discovered 
us. Then the sharpshooters began popping away from the treetops, but 
somehow they didn't hit us. Suddenly we noticed a commotion in a battery 
near a blockhouse. Their big guns were trained our way and a shell went 



STORIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 



247 



screaming over the top of the balloon. They soon had the whole battery 
working and our position became decidedly uncomfortable. 

" Shot and shell whizzed around us for hours, but did not hit us. Sud- 
denly, about 5.30 p. m., the balloon jerked violently to one side and a cloud 
of silk tumbled about us. A shell had struck the gas bag, and we were sent 
whirling to the ground. I crashed into a treetop and lost consciousness. 
When I came to I was on a stretcher being borne to the hospital. Here it 
was found that two of my ribs had been broken and I was bruised from head 
to foot." 

Sergeant Thomas C. Boone, a Second-regiment man, who was also in 
the war balloon, tells the particulars of the disaster, the result of the sad mis- 
take in sending the balloon up from the skirmishing line instead of from the 
rear. In a letter Mr. Boone said : 

Balloon Came Down with a Rush. 

" I have not told you of my accidents before while in Cuba, because I did 
not care to arouse the anxiety of my friends at home, and although I have 
been unable to walk for some time, still I did not consider my condition as 
serious as the surgeons here claim it to be. I will tell you how I got hurt. 
It was a streak of continuous bad luck. On the first day of July I went up 
in the balloon on the battlefield at 7 a.m., and the balloon was being moved 
all over the field when shot to pieces eighty yards from the Spanish 
line at 1 p.m. 

" We thought our height, together with their bad markmanship, afforded 
us protection. We were badly mistaken. At least two hundred bullets and 
four shrapnel shots went through the inflating bag, allowing the gas to escape, 
and we came down with a rush, striking the top of a tree alongside a creek, 
throwing us out. In falling I was caught in the abdomen by a point of the 
anchor of the balloon, was suspended for a moment — it seemed a lifetime — 
then dropped into the creek, with the water up to my shoulders. I was badly 
bruised and shaken up, but owing to the excitement of the time I did not 
notice the pain. 

" Three of our detachment were killed and four wounded out of twenty- 
one men, which shows that we were in a pretty warm place. Well, I did not 
go to the hospital about my injury until July 14, and I was then so weak I 
could scarcely walk. The surgeons at the field hospital placed me in an old 
army wagon without springs at nine o'clock one night, to be taken to another 
hospital seven miles away, over the worst road in the world without doubt. 
At this hospital I was told that I would have to go to the United States for 
an operation, and here I am." 



CHAPTER XV. 



General Shafter Tells of the Downfall of Santiago and 
Surrender of the Spanish Army. 

Y July 2d, it became evident to all that Santiago was a doomed city, 
and this became a certainty the next morning when Cervera's fleet 
made its disastrous effort to escape. El Caney and San Juan 
commanding Santiago were in our possession and help could no 
longer be expected from without. 

General Shafter, thereupon, immediately demanded the surrender of 
Santiago on pain of bombardment, a demand which was promptly refused by 
General Jose Toral, the commander of the city. 

The United States were not waging war against defenseless women and 
children ; the Spanish general was informed that, for their sake, the bombard- 
ment would be postponed until July 5th, at noon. 

Negotiations for " honorable " terms of surrender were now carried on 
for several days by the Santiago commander in the course of which Hobson 
and his crew were exchanged (July 6th) and the line of our intrenchments 
was carried closer and closer to the city. 

At last, on the 16th of the month, the beleaguered general bowed to the 
inevitable. 

With the surrender of the province of Santiago, Cuba was lost to Spain. 
On July 1 8th, General Shafter wrote to Secretary Alger of the surrender 
as follows : 

" Camp before Santiago, Cuba, July 18th. 

" I take the liberty of sending to you this morning a copy of the agree- 
ment between the Commissioners on my part and the Commissioners on the 
part of the Government of Spain for the surrender of eastern Cuba. The 
schedule just submitted shows there to be a little over 22,000 men and offi- 
cers, about 6,000 more men than I have had myself, and I am glad to say 
that we have got all these men with very little loss of life, compared with 
what it would have been had we fought them. 

" The city of Santiago is simply a net work of fortifications at every 
street corner I had no proper conception of its strength until I went into 
it, although I knew these old stone towns were naturally very strong. 
Everything is going admirably, so far as the transfer is concerned, and the 
Spanish troops are behaving well, as they are perfectly delighted at the 
thought of getting home. 
248 




THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



249 



" I send to you personally a copy of a telegram of General Linares to 
his Government, which one of the Consuls gave me. It shows the straits to 
which they were put and the feelings that animated them. He stated the 
case exactly; I did have him so surrounded that it was impossible for him to 
get away; and I could wait and he could not. 

" I send out to-morrow morning to receive something over 2,000 men up 
in the interior, a short distance, about thirty miles, and in two or three days 
will send to Guantanamo to receive the 7,000 that have surrendered there. 
They should be shipped from Guantanamo Bay direct to Spain. There are also 
about 800 men each from Baracoa and Sagua de Tanamo, on the northeast, 
who will come into the port there for shipment. I will send an officer around 
with a Spanish officer to take their arms and military supplies. 

" We have gotten a great deal more than I had any idea of getting in the 
way of munitions of war. In everything but food they were well supplied. 
Have got a few beautiful modern high-power guns, about a dozen. 

Plan to Remove Our Soldiers. 

" My only fear is that we shall have some sickness, and it is for that rea- 
son that I have wired you so earnestly about getting these prisoners away, so 
that we can go up in the mountains with my command fifteen or twenty miles, 
at the end of the railroad at San Luis, which is said to be very healthy. It 
is, at any rate, about 1,500 feet above the sea, and has communication by rail 
with Santiago. 

" So far there is no fever in Santiago, I suppose because there is no one 
there except immunes. Three cases only so far this year, and the English 
Consul tells me there was very little last year. 

" Of those here who served throughout the Civil War, all declare they 
never had anything that could compare with it for hardships. With only one 
set of clothes, officers have been until now rained on nearly every day, carry- 
ing three days' rations, like the men, on their person, and suffering every 
privation that any man can ; added to all these privations, all the horrors of 
disease in an unknown land, and very limited accommodations should they be 
wounded. 

" The spirit shown by them and by the whole army was simply grand. 
I can recall no instance where a greater surrender has been made than this. 
The final surrender of General Toral and his generals to myself and my 
generals was highly dramatic as well as the hoisting of the flag over the city 
of Santiago, one of the oldest cities in this continent. 

" I want to thank you and the President for words of cheer that have 
come to us, and to say that none of us have ever doubted that every effort 



250 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



possible to male our lives as secure and our situation as comfortable as is 
possible would be made." 

General Shafter's report of the campaign briefly recounts the organization 
of the expedition and its embarkation and then devotes the main body of the 
report to the active operations about Santiago. General Shafter says the 
expedition was undertaken in compliance with telegraphic instructions of May 
30 from headquarters of the army, in which it was stated : 

" Admiral Schley reports that two cruisers and two torpedo boats have 
been seen in the harbor of Santiago. Go with your force to capture garrison 
at Santiago and assist in capturing harbor and fleet." 

The Start from Tampa. 

The report gives in detail the troops assembled at Tampa. The cavalry 
was dismounted because of lack of transportation for the animals and because 
it was believed mounted cavalry could not operate efficiently near Santiago. 
This, General Shafter says, was found subsequently to be correct. After 
reciting the delay at Tampa, due to inadequate facilities, General Shafter says 
that on June 7 he received orders to sail without delay, but not with less 
than 10,000 men. 

After some of the transports had already reached the lower bay tele- 
graphic instructions were received from the Secretary of War directing that 
the sailing of the expedition be delayed waiting further orders. This delay 
was occasioned by the navy reporting that a Spanish war vessel had been 
sighted in the Nicholas Channel. The ships in the lower bay were imme- 
diately recalled. The expedition sailed on June 14 with 815 officers and 
16,072 men. 

General Shafter briefly covers the trip and landing, and his first meeting 
with General Garcia, adding : 

a During the interview General Garcia offered the services of his troops, 
comprising about 4000 men, in the vicinity of Aseraderos, and about 500 
under General Castillo, at the little town of Cujababo, a few miles east of Dai- 
quiri. I accepted his offer, impressing it upon him that I could exercise no 
military control over him except such as he would concede, and as long as 
he served under me I would furnish him rations and ammunition." 

After conferring with Admiral Sampson and General Garcia the plan of 
campaign was outlined by General Shafter. The disembarkation was to com- 
mence on the 22d at Daiquiri, with feints by the Cubans on Cabanas, and by 
the navy at various shore points, in order to mislead the enemy as to the 
place of landing. 

" These movements," General Shafter says, " committed me to approach- 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



251 



ing Santiago from the east over a narrow road, at first in some places not 
better than a trail, running from Baiquiri through Siboney and Sevilla, and 
making attack from that quarter. This, in my judgment, was the only feasi- 
ble plan, and subsequent information and results confirmed my judgment." 

Of the early operations, and the skirmishes in which the rough riders 
participated, the report says : 

u General Young's brigade passed beyond Lawton on the night of the 
23d-24th, thus taking the advance, and on the morning of the latter date 
became engaged with a Spanish force intrenched in a strong position at La 
Quasina, a point on the Santiago road about three miles from Siboney. Gen- 
eral Young's forces consisted of one squadron of the First Cavalry, one of the 
Tenth Cavalry, and two of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry, in all, 
964 officers and men. 

" The enemy made an obstinate resistance, but were driven from the field 
with considerable loss. Our own loss was one officer and fifteen men killed ; 
six officers and forty-six men wounded. The reported losses of the Spaniards 
were nine killed and twenty-seven wounded. The engagement had an in- 
spiring effec*- upon our men and doubtless, correspondingly, depressed the 
enemy, as it was now plainly demonstrated to them that they had a foe to 
meet who would advance upon them under a heavy fire delivered from in- 
trenchments. General Wheeler, division commander, was present during the 
engagement and reports that our troops, officers and men fought with the 
greatest gallantry. This engagement gave us a well-watered country farther 
to the front, on which to encamp our troops." 

General Sh after 's Plan of Attack. 

The report continues : " It was not until nearly two weeks after the 
army landed that it was possible to place on shore three days' supplies in ex- 
cess of those required for the daily consumption. 

" On June 30 I reconnoitered the country about Santiago and made my 
plan of attack. From a high hill, from which the city was in plain view, I 
could see the San Juan hill and the country about El Caney. The roads were 
very poor and, indeed, little better than bridle paths until the San Juan River 
and El Caney were reached." 

General Shafter explained at a meeting of generals his plan of battle, as 
follows : 

" Lawton's division, assisted by Capron's light battery, was ordered to 
move out during the afternoon toward El Caney to begin the attack early 
the next morning. After carrying El Caney, Lawton was to move by the 
Caney road toward Santiago, and take position on the right of the line. 



252 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



Wheeler's division of dismounted cavalry and Kent's division of infantry 
were directed on the Santiago road, the head of the column resting near 
£1 Pozo, toward which heights Grimes' Battery moved on the afternoon of 
the 30th with orders to take position there early the next morning and at 
the proper time prepare the way for the advance of Wheeler and Kent on 
San Juan hill. The attack at this point was to be delayed until Lawton's 
guns were heard at El Caney and his infantry fire showed that he had be- 
come well engaged. 

Forced the Fight. 

" The preparations were far from what I desired them to be, but we 
were in a sickly climate; our supplies had to be brought forward by a nar- 
row wagon road which the rains might at any time render impassable; fear 
was entertained that a storm might drive the vessels containing our stores 
to sea, thus separating us from our base of supplies, and lastly, it was re- 
ported that General Pando, with 8000 reinforcements for the enemy, was en 
route from Manzanillo and might be expected in a few days. Under these 
conditions I determined to give battle without delay. 

"Early on the morning of July 1, Lawton was in a position around 
El Caney. Chaffee's brigade on the right, across the Guantanamo road; 
Colonel Evan Miles' brigade in the centre and Ludlow's on the left. The duty 
of cutting off the enemy's retreat along the Santiago road was assigned to the 
latter brigade. The artillery opened on the town at 6.15 a.m. The battle 
here soon became general and was hotly contested. The enemy's position 
was naturally strong and was rendered more so by blockhouses, a stone fort 
and intrenchments cut in solid rock and the loopholing of a solidly-built 
stone church. 

" The opposition offered by the enemy was greater than had been antici- 
pated and prevented Lawton from joining the right of the main line during 
the day, as had been intended. After the battle had continued for some time, 
Bates' brigade of two regiments reached my headquarters from Siboney. I 
directed him to move near El Caney to give assistance, if necessary. He 
did so and was in position between Miles and Chaffee. The battle continued 
with varying intensity during most of the day and until the place was car- 
ried by assault about 4.30 p.m. As the Spaniards endeavored to retreat along 
the Santiago road, Ludlow's position enabled him to do very effective work 
and to practically cut off all the retreat in that direction. 

" After the battle El Caney was well opened, and the sound of the small 
arm fire caused us to believe that Lawton was driving the enemy before him. 
I directed Grimes' battery to open fire from the heights of El Pozo on the 
San Juan block house, which could be seen situated in the enemy's intrench- 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



253 



merits extending along the crest of San Juan hill. This fire was effective, and 
the enemy could be seen running away from the vicinity of the blockhouse. 
The artillery fire from El Pozo was soon returned by the enemy's artillery. 
They evidently had the range of this hill, and their first shells killed and 
wounded several men. As the Spaniards used smokeless powder, it was very 
difficult to locate the position of their pieces, while, on the contrary, the 
smoke caused by our black powder plainly indicated the position of our 
battery. 

" At this time the cavalry division under General Sumner, which was 
lying concealed in the general vicinity of the El Pozo house, was ordered 
forward, with directions to cross the San Juan River and deploy to the right 
on the Santiago side, while Kent's division was to follow closely in its rear 
and deploy on the left. 

" These troops moved forward in compliance with orders, but the road 
was so narrow as to render it impracticable to retain the column of fours 
formation at all points, while the undergrowth on either side was so dense as 
to preclude the possibility of deploying skirmishers. It naturally resulted 
that the progress made was slow, and the long-range rifles of the enemy's 
infantry killed and wounded a number of our men while marching along this 
road, and before there was any opportunity to return this fire. 

"At this time Generals Kent and Sumner were ordered to push forward 
with all possible haste and place their troops in position to engage the enemy. 
General Kent, with this end in view, forced the head of his column alongside 
of the cavalry column as far as the narrow trail permitted, and thus hur- 
ried his arrival at the San Juan and the formation beyond that stream. A 
few hundred yards before reaching the San Juan the road forks, a fact that was 
discovered by Lieutenant- Colonel Derby, of my staff, who had approached 
well to the front in a war balloon. This information he furnished to the troops, 
resulting in Sumner moving on the right-hand road while Kent was enabled 
to utilize the road to the left. 

Wheeler at the Front. 

" General Wheeler, the permanent commander of the cavalry division, 
who had been ill, came forward during the morning, and later returned to 
duty and rendered most gallant and efficient service during the remainder of 
the day. 

" After crossing the stream the cavalry moved to the right, with a view 
of connecting with Lawton's left when he could come up, and with their left 
resting near the Santiago road. 

" In the meantime, Kent's division, with the exception of two regiments 



254 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



of Hawkins' brigade, being thus uncovered, moved rapidly to the front from 
the forks in the road previously mentioned, utilizing both trails, but more 
especially the one to the left, and crossing the creek, formed for attack in 
front of San Juan hill. During this formation, the Second Brigade suffered 
severely. While personally superintending this movement, its gallant com- 
mander, Colonel Wikoff, was killed. The command of the brigade then 
devolved upon Lieutenant- Colonel Worth, Thirteenth Infantry, who was soon 
severely wounded, and next upon Lieutenant- Colonel Liscum, Twenty-fourth 
Infantry, who five minutes later also fell under the terrible fire of the enemy } 
and the command of the brigade then devolved upon Lieutenant- Colonel 
Ewers, Ninth Infantry. 

" While the formation thus described was taking place, General Kent 
took measures to hurry forward his rear brigade. The Tenth and Second 
Infantry were ordered to follow Wikoff's brigade, while the Twenty-first was 
sent on the right-hand road to support the First brigade, under General 
Hawkins, who had crossed the stream and formed on the right of the division. 
The Second and Tenth Infantry, Colonel E. P. Pearson commanding, moved 
forward in good order on the left of the division, passed over a green knoll, 
and drove the enemy back toward his trenches. 

A Gallant Charge. 

"After completing their formation under a destructive fire, and advancing 
a short distance, both divisions found in their front a wide bottom, in which 
had been placed a barbed wire entanglement, and beyond which there was a 
high hill, along the crest of which the enemy was strongly posted. Nothing 
daunted, these gallant men pushed on to drive the enemy from his chosen 
position, both divisions losing heavily. In this assault Colonel Hamilton, 
Lieutenants Smith and Ship were killed, and Colonel Carroll, Lieutenants 
Thayer and Myer, all in the cavalry, were wounded. 

" Great credit is due to Brigadier-General H. S. Hawkins, who, placing 
himself between his regiments, urged them on by voice and bugle calls to the 
attack so brilliantly executed. 

" In this fierce encounter words fail to do justice to the gallant regimental 
commanders and their heroic men, for, while the generals indicated the forma- 
tions and the points of attack, it was, after all, the intrepid bravery of the 
subordinate officers and men that planted our colors on the crest of San Juan 
hill and drove the enemy from his trenches and block-houses, thus gaining a 
position which sealed the fate of Santiago. 

" In this action on this part of the field most efficient service was rendered 
by Lieutenant John H. Parker, Thirteenth Infantry, and the Gatling gun de- 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



255 



tachment under his command. The fighting continued at intervals until 
nightfall, but our men held resolutely to the positions gained at the cost of so 
much blood and toil. 

" I am greatly indebted to General Wheeler, who, as previously stated, 
returned from the sick list to duty during the period. His cheerfulness and 
aggressiveness made a good impression on this part of the battlefield, and the 
information he furnished to me at various stages of the battle proved to be 
most useful. 

" My own health was impaired by over-exertion in the sun and intense 
heat of the day before, which prevented me from participating as actively in 
the battle as I desired, but from a high hill near my headquarters I had a 
general view of the battlefield, extending from El Caney on the right to the 
left of our lines on San Juan Hill." 

General Shafter follows in detail the movements of the troops and the 
intrenching done during the night. He says: 

" General Duffield, with the Thirty-third Michigan, attacked Aguadores, 
as ordered, but was unable to accomplish more than to detain the Spaniards 
in that vicinity. On the night of July 1st I ordered General Duffield, at 
Siboney, to send forward the Thirty- fourth Michigan and the Ninth Massa- 
chusetts, both of which had just arrived from the United States. These regi- 
ments reached the front the next morning. 

Furious Battle. 

"All day on the 2d the battle raged with more or less fury, but such of 
our troops as were in position at daylight held their ground and Lawton 
gained a strong and commanding position on the right. About 10 p. m. the 
enemy made a vigorous assault to break through my lines, but he was repulsed 
at all points. 

" On the morning of the 3d the battle was renewed, but the enemy 
seemed to have expended his energy in the assault of the previous night, and 
the firing along the lines was desultory until stopped by my sending a letter 
within the Spanish lines." 

General Shafter then gives the dispatches passing between him and Gen- 
eral Toral. He proceeds : 

" I was of the opinion that the Spaniards would surrender if given a little 
time, and I thought this result would be hastened if the men of their army 
could be made to understand they would be well treated as prisoners of war. 
Acting upon this presumption, I determined to offer to return all the wounded 
Spanish officers at El Caney who were able to bear transportation and who 
were willing to give their paroles not to serve against the forces of the United 



256 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



States until regularly exchanged. This offer was made and accepted. These 
officers, as well as several of the wounded Spanish privates, twenty-seven in 
rJl, were sent to their lines under the escort of some of our mounted cavalry. 
Our troops were received with honors, and I have every reason to believe the 
return of the Spanish prisoners produced a good impression on their comrades. 

" The cessation of firing about noon on the 3d practically terminated the 
battle of Santiago; all that occurred after this time may properly be treated 
under the head of the siege w T hich followed. After deducting the detachments 
retained at Siboney and Baiquiri to render those depots secure from attack, 
organizations held to protect our flanks, other acting as escorts and guards 
to light batteries, the members of the hospital corps, guards left in charge 
of blanket rolls which the intense heat caused the men to cast aside before 
entering battle, orderlies, etc., it is doubtful if we had more than 12,000 men 
on the* firing line on July 1st, when the battle was fiercest and when the im- 
portant and strong positions of El Caney and San Juan were captured. 

" A few Cubans assisted in the attack at El Caney, and fought valiantly, 
but their numbers were too small to materially change the strength as indi- 
cated above. The enemy confronted us with numbers about equal to our 
own ; they fought obstinately in strong and intrenched positions, and the 
results obtained clearly indicate the intrepid gallantry of the company, officers 
and men, and the benefits derived from the careful training and instruction 
given in the company in recent years in rifle practice and other battle exercises. 

Our Losses at Santiago. 

" Our losses in these battles were 32 officers and 208 men killed, and 81 
officers and 1203 men wounded ; missing, 79. The missing, with few excep- 
tions, reported later." 

General Shafter says the arrival of General Escario at Santiago was not 
anticipated. He says : " General Garcia, with between four and five thousand 
Cubans, was intrusted with the duty of watching for and intercepting the 
reinforcements expected. This, however, he failed to do, and Escario passed 
into the city on my extreme right, near the bay." 

After speaking of Admiral Cervera's sortie and the destruction of his fleet, 
General Shafter says he again called on the Spanish commanders to surren- 
der. He continues : 

" On the same date I informed Admiral Sampson that if he would force 
his way into the harbor the city would surrender without any further sacrifice of 
life. Commodore Watson replied that Admiral Sampson was temporarily 
absent, but that in his (Watson's) opinion the navy should not enter the harbor. 

" The strength of the enemy's position was such I did not wish to assault 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



257 



if it could be avoided. An examination of the enemy's works, made after 
the surrender, fully justified the wisdom of the course adopted. The entrench- 
ments could only have been carried with very great loss of life." 

General Shafter gives the varying efforts towards securing a surrender, 
and his reopening the engagement on the ioth when the truce ended. On 
the nth the surrender was again demanded. 

" By this date," the General continues, " the sickness in the army was 
increasing very rapidly, as a result of exposure in the trenches to the intense 
heat of the sun and the heavy rains. Moreover, the dews in Cuba are almost 
equal to rains. The weakness of the troops was becoming so apparent I was 
anxious to bring the siege to an end, but in common with most of the officers 
of the army I did not think an assault would be justifiable, especially as the 
enemy seemed to be acting in good faith in the preliminary propositions to 
surrender. 

"July I2th I informed the Spanish commander that Major-General Miles, 
Commander-in-chief of the American army, had just arrived in my camp and 
requested him to grant us a personal interview on the following day. He 
replied that he would be pleased to meet us. The interview took place on 
the 13th, and I informed him his surrender only could be considered and that 
as he was without hope of escape he had no right to continue to fight." 

Obstacles Encountered. 

General Shafter then gives the details of the final surrender, his entry to 
the city, and the raising of the American flag. In closing, he says : 

" Before closing my report I wish to dwell upon the natural obstacles J 
had to encounter, and which no foresight could have overcome or obviated. 
The rocky and precipitous coast afforded no sheltered landing-places, the 
roads were mere bridle paths, the effect of the tropical sun and rains upon 
unacclimated troops was deadly, and the dread of strange and unknown dis- 
eases had its effect on the army. 

"At Baiquiri the landing of the troops and stores was made at a small 
wooden wharf, which the Spaniards tried to burn, but unsuccessfully, and the 
animals were pushed into the water and guided to a sandy beach about 200 
yards in extent. At Siboney the landing was made on the beach and a small 
wharf erected by the engineers. I had neither the time nor the men to spare 
to construct permanent wharves. 

"In spite of the fact that I had nearly 1,000 men continuously at work- 
on the roads, they were at times impassable for wagons. The San Juan and 
Aguadores Rivers would often suddenly rise so as to prevent the passage of 
wagons, and then the eight pack trains with the command had to be depended 
17 



258 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



upon for the victualing of the army, as well as the 20,000 refugees, who could 
not, in the interest of humanity, be left to starve while we had rations. 

" Often for days nothing could be moved except on pack trains. After 
the great physical strain and exposure of July 1st and 2d, the malarial and 
other fevers began to rapidly advance throughout the command, and on July 
4th the yellow fever appeared at Siboney. Though efforts were made to keep 
this fact from the army it soon became known. 

" The supply of quartermaster and commissary stores during the cam- 
paign was abundant, and, notwithstanding the difficulties in landing and trans- 
porting the rations, the troops on the firing line were at all times supplied 
with bread, meat, sugar and coffee. There was no lack of transportation, for 
at no time up to the surrender could all the wagons I had be used. 

" In reference to the sick and wounded, I have to say that they received 
every attention that it was possible to give them. The medical officers, with- 
out exception, worked night and day to alleviate the suffering, which was no 
greater than invariably accompanies a campaign. It would have been better 
if we had more ambulances, but as many were taken as were thought neces- 
sary, judging from previous campaigns. 

" The discipline of the command was superb, and I wish to invite atten- 
tion to the fact that not an officer was brought to trial by court-martial, and, 
as far as I know, no enlisted men. 




Linares Foresaw Santiago's Doom. 



Upon the destruction of Cervera's fleet, General Linares saw the hope- 
lessness of further resistance. On July 12th, he addressed a pathetic appeal 
to the Spanish War Minister, strongly picturing the desperate condition of 
his troops and offering to assume the responsibility of surrendering to pre- 
vent more bloodshed. The letter, which was referred to by General Shafter 
in the foregoing, was sent by way of Havana, under date of July 12th, and 
probably had the endorsement of Captain General Blanco. It was as follows : 
" To the Minister of War:— 

" Although prostrated in bed by excessive weakness and sharp pains, I 
am preoccupied to such an extent by the terrible condition of these long-suf- 
fering troops that I consider it my duty to address your Excellency, the 
Minister of War, in order to expose the true condition of affairs. 

" The enemy's position is very strong, and his outposts are very close to 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



the limits of this city. The natural formation of the surrounding country 
gives our besiegers great advantages. 

" Our lines extend fourteen kilometres. Our troops are attenuated and 
the proportion of sick is considerable, but they are not allowed to go to the 
hospital owing to the necessity of our keeping them in the trenches. Our 
horses have no grain or forage. 

"Under a veritable deluge we remained for twenty hours at a stretch in 
the trenches and breastworks, soaked to the marrow, with no earthly shelter 
or protection possible for the unfortunate soldiers, who eat nothing but rice, 
and cannot even change or dry their clothes. 

Could Not Break Through Our Lines. 

" The great losses among our officers — either dead, wounded, sick or 
disappeared — deprive our men of the necessary direction and command at 
critical moments. 

" Under such conditions it would be impossible to attempt to break 
through the enemy's ranks, as one-third of our men are too feeble to walk 
and would have to be left behind, while the rest of us would be decimated 
and routed by the superior forces of the enemy. The result of such an at- 
tempt would be a wholesale slaughter and national disaster. 

"In order to attempt a sortie under the protection of the Holguin divi- 
sion, it is in the first place necessary for those forces to break through the 
enemy's ranks and reinforce ours before we could move. On the other hand, 
the Holguin forces would have ahead of them eight days of forced marches, 
and would have to bring a great quantity of commissary supplies and 
rations, which it would be impossible for them to do. 

" Altogether the gravity of the situation is appalling. The surrender of 
the town is inevitable. A prolonged resistance would simply mean a pro- 
traction of our death agony. The sacrifice would be sterile and fruitless. 

" The enemy appreciates our position perfectly, and, with our lines cir- 
cumvented and walled in as securely as they are, he is able to drain and wipe 
out our forces without exposing his own, as he did yesterday — cannonading 
us with vertifical fire, while we could not see or make out his batteries. 
Moreover, his navy has our range down to so fine a point that his ships can 
bombard the town by sections with mathematical precision. 

" Santiago de Cuba is not Gerona, which was defended inch by inch to 
the last drop of blood by women and children, by the old and by the feeble, 
all moved by the sacred spirit of independence and animated and encour- 
aged by the hope and promise of relief, which they did actually receive. 

" Here solitude alone reigns. The total population, native as well as 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



Spanish, has left the city. Not only have private individuals abandoned it, 
but public officials and government employees as well. The clergy alone re- 
main within our walls, and they, too, are preparing to flee to-morrow, with 
their prelate at their head. 

" Our troops are not starting to-day, fresh and vigorous, full of energy 
and enthusiasm, on a campaign. They are men who have struggled three 
long years against climatic perils, fatigue, hardships, disease and hunger, and 
who to-day, when called to face these trying and critical conditions, arc 
wasted away in body and soul, with no earthly means or possibility of relief. 

Further Sacrifices Needless. 

" The honors of arms and of war have limits, and I appeal to the judg- 
ment of the government and of the whole nation as to whether these troops 
have not given repeated illustrations of courage, valor and devotion, and 
whether they are to be further sacrificed for a lost cause. 

" If for reasons of which I am ignorant their sacrifices demand it, or if 
some person is required, who will assume responsibility for the inglorious 
end already predicted in my former dispatches, I offer myself loyally on the 
altar of my country, to assume command and responsibility in either case, 
and I will, if necessary, be alone answerable for the surrender of this place, 
as my modest reputation is of small value, compared with the national wel- 
fare. . " Linares." 

An unpleasant incident, following the surrender of Santiago, was the 
withdrawal of General Garcia and his troops, on the allegation that they were 
ignored officially during the ceremonies. As a consequence Garcia was 
relieved of his command by the Cuban Provisional Government. General 
Garcia's report as to the movements of his troops was as follows : 

" On the 6th of June the steamer Gloucester brought a communication 
from General Miles, Commander-in-chief of the American army, in which he 
informed me of the project to attack by land and sea the city of Santiago de 
Cuba, and that it was necessary that the greater part of the Cuban forces 
should advance on that city to co-operate with him. Immediately I gave 
orders that the forces that had been armed should move forward toward San- 
tiago, a very difficult operation, the infantry being almost worn out, and on 
account of the scarcity of food for so many people. 

" Surmounting these difficulties the forces arrived at Palma Soriano, and 
on the 1 8th I marched to Asseradores, where I arrived on the 19th at 7.30 
a.m., having been summoned there to confer with the Admiral of the Ameri- 
can navy, Sampson, to decide on the best plan of attacking Santiago de Cuba. 
This conference took place on board the flagship New York. I must now 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



261 



declare that my object in moving my forces on Santiago de Cuba, and meet- 
ing the Admiral of the United States navy, has been to obey the orders I 
received from the Council of Government to obey and respect the orders and 
instructions of the commanders of the American army on their commencing 
operations in the territory under my command. 

Conference with Shafter. 

" On the 20th, at half-past two o'clock, the General of Brigade, com- 
mander of the brigade of Ramon de las Taguas, Demetrio Castillo, landed in 
r\sseradores from Sagua, brought over by an American man-of-war, to receive 
my orders. A short time after I was advised that Major General William R. 
Shafter, commander of the Fifth Army Corps of the United States Army, had 
landed to confer with me on the attack by land of Santiago de Cuba. 

" After a long conference, and after the American general had accepted 
the plan I laid before him for the landing of his troops, he returned to the 
ship. The following day the General of Division, Augustin Cebreco, marched 
toward the west of Cuba with the forces of his division, with the object of pre- 
venting the enemy from reinforcing its garrisons of the coast in that part, and 
at 8 p.m. a force of 530 men, belonging to the division of the Bayamo, and 
commanded by Brigadier General Demetrio Castillo, was shipped on board an 
American transport to go to the reinforcement of the brigade of Ramon, to 
protect the landing of the American army, and advance on Santiago by 
the east. 

" These forces landed in Sigua and advanced at once upon Baiquiri, with 
their commander, Colonel Carlos Gonzalez, and with 500 men of the brigade 
of Ramon, under Brigadier General Castillo. The Spaniards, in a great 
hurry, abandoned Baiquiri, which Castillo occupied as the American navy 
began to bombard it, but firing was suspended as soon as our flag was hoisted. 

" The Americans landed their first regiments at Baiquiri and advanced 
on Firmeza and Siboney, with the Cuban forces always in the vanguard, they 
being the first to occupy said village. In Siboney the landing of American 
troops was continued, while the Cuban forces under Colonel Carlos Gonzalez, 
advancing on Santiago, sustained a severe encounter with the enemy in La 
Quasina, suffering some losses, but inflicting greater upon the Spaniards. 

" In my conference with Admiral Sampson and Major General Shafter we 
decided that I should embark with 3000 men at Asseradores and land east of 
Santiago. With this object I sent for the forces at Aguacate (near Palma), 
and on the 25th, at 7 a.m., we began to embark, which operation was finished 
in the evening. 

"I was on board of the Alamo with my staff and some officers, invited 



262 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



by General Ludlow, who had superintended the embarkation. Brigadier 
General Sanchez, with a force of 800 men, who embarked first in the steamer 
Leona, landed at 5 o'clock p.m. in Siboney. There were already camped the 
Cuban forces which had arrived before, as well as many thousands of the 
American army." 

A Spanish Officer's Story. 

One of the few surviving Spanish officers at the battle of Caney, fought 
on July I, who was an aid on General Vara del Rey's staff, and was present 
at the death of that officer, gives the following narrative, which is told in the 
officer's own words, furnishing the Spanish view of one of the hardest fought 
battles of the war : 

" Brigadier-General Joaquin Vara del Rey, in command of the brigade of 
San Luis, composed of three companies of the Twenty-ninth regulars, num- 
bering 467 men and 47 guerrillas," said the officer, " was ordered by General 
Linares to proceed from San Luis to Santiago, there to reinforce the garrison 
in the city. 

" We left San Luis on June 23, marched to El Poso, and thence to San- 
tiago, where we stayed forty-eight hours, when we were ordered out to Caney 
to strengthen the left flank of the Spanish lines. We arrived there on the 
28th, in the evening, after an uneventful march. 

" The 5 14 men of General Vara del Rey's command were the only troops 
at Caney, and were never reinforced. The 467 regulars were armed with 
Mausers, and the 47 guerrillas with Remington rifles. 

" On the afternoon of the 30th, we noticed a balloon ascending in the 
air about a quarter of an hour. After its descent, we saw the enemy pick up 
their tents and move their camp, but as the night was falling we were unable 
to locate their new position, although we guessed at it pretty correctly. 

" We hurriedly dug trenches about three feet deep, in which the men 
fired kneeling. We worked in the trenches and breastworks all through the 
night, assigned the men to their posts, and placed thirty regulars in the fort 
or block house known as El Paraiso, fearing a surprise from the enemy. Our 
fears proved only too well grounded, for at daybreak the next morning, July 
I, the first shell from the enemy's guns fell in the town. 

" The Americans simultaneously opened with four rapid-fire guns, and 
kept up a volcanic fire until three o'clock in the afternoon. We had no 
artillery with which to reply, and soon realized that we had the fight of our 
lives on our hands. All the ammunition we had were twelve mule loads of 
eight cases each, a total of 66,000 rounds. 

" The enemy's fire was incessant, and we answered with equal rapidity. 
I have never seen anything to equal the courage and dash of those Ameri- 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



263 



cans, who, stripped to the waist, offering their naked breasts to our murderous 
fire, literally threw themselves on our trenches, on the very muzzles of our 
guns. 

" Our execution must have been terrible. We had the advantage of our 
position, and mowed them down by the hundred, but they never retreated or 
fell back an inch. As one man fell, shot through the heart, another would 
take his place with grim determination and unflinching devotion to duty in 
every line of his face. 

" Their gallantry was heroic. We wondered at these men, who fought 
like lions and fell like men, courting a wholesale massacre, which could well 
have been avoided had they only kept up their firing without storming our 
trenches. 

" Our stock of ammunition was dwindling fast, we were losing men 
rapidly, and were fighting the battle of despair, the inevitable staring us in 
the face. General Vara del Rey was standing in the square opposite the 
church when word was brought to him that the last round had been served to 
the men. This was about three o'clock in the afternoon. 

" He at once gave the order to retreat, crying to his men, 'Sa/vese quien 
pueda ! ' 

" Hardly had he given the order before he fell, shot through both legs. 
One of his aids, Lieutenant Joaquin Dominguez, turned to the General as he 
fell, exclaiming, ' General, what slaughter V A bullet took the top clean off 
his skull, killing him on the spot. 

The Death of General Vara Del Rey. 

" In the meantime I had secured a stretcher and ordered four men to 
place the general in it and carry him to a place of safety. Bullets were 
whizzing past us and falling like hail all around. It seemed that fate was 
against us. As they placed him in the stretcher General Vara del Rey was 
shot through the head and killed. All four litter bearers were shot, and 
Lieutenant Antonio Vara del Rey, a brother and aid to the General, was 
wounded and taken prisoner. Earlier in the day Majors Aguero and Aragon, 
both on the General's staff, had also been killed. Besides these, ten other 
officers were shot, and we had 230 men killed and wounded. 

" At General Vara del Rey's death all took flight, running down the hill 
and toward the woods and underbrush, in a mad effort to save their lives. 

" Toward evening small bands of straggling, worn-out soldiers began to 
arrive in Santiago, and at half-past eight o'clock that night Lieutenant Colo- 
nel Punet came in with 103 men, whom he had been able to rally and bring 
into the city in some sort of order, 



264 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



" None of the blockhouses in the surrounding country was engaged that 
day, but in the early morning a shell from the American lines fell in the San 
Miguel blockhouse, setting it on fire and killing seven men. We estimated 
the enemy's forces engaged at Caney on July I at three thousand men and 
their artillery at four rapid-fire guns. 

" It was the hardest fighting I have ever seen or ever care to see. The 
brilliancy and daring of the American attack was only equalled by the cool- 
ness and stubbornness of the Spanish defence. 

" The report that the body of General Vara del Rey had never been re- 
covered is untrue. It was buried by the American troops, and his grave was 
marked by a wooden cross. A decoration found on his breast was unpinned, 
and later handed to General Toral by General Shafter." 

Spanish Soldiers' Gratitude. 

The generous treatment of the Spanish soldiers by the victors before 
Santiago resulted in the production of a document entirely unique in the 
annals of warfare. It was in the form of a farewell address issued to the 
American soldiers by Pedro Lopez Castillo, a private Spanish soldier, in behalf 
of the 11,000 men who had surrendered. No victorious army since history 
was written has ever received such a document from the foe. 

The following is the full text of the address as cabled by General Shafter: 

" Santiago, August 22, 1-898. — H. C. Corbin, Adjutant General United 
States Army, Washington : The following letter has just been received from 
the soldiers now embarking for Spain : 

" Major General Shafter, commanding the American army in Cuba: Sir 
— The Spanish soldiers who capitulated in this place on the 16th of July last, 
recognizing your high and just position, pray that through you all the cour- 
ageous and noble soldiers under your command may receive our good wishes 
and farewell, which we have no doubt you will grant, you will gain the ever- 
lasting gratitude and^ consideration of 11,000 Spanish soldiers, who are your 
most humble servants. "Pedro Lopez de Castillo, 

"Private of Infantry." 

Also the following letter addressed to the soldiers of the American 
army : 

" Soldiers of the American army: We would not be fulfilling our duty as 
well born men in whose breasts there live gratitude and courtesy, should we 
embark for our beloved Spain without sending to you our most cordial and 
sincere good wishes and farewell. 

" We fought you with ardor, with all our strength, endeavoring to gain 
the victory, but without the slightest rancor or hate toward the American 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



265 



nation. We have been vanquished by you (so our generals and chiefs judged 
in signing the capitulation), but our surrender and the bloody battles preced- 
ing it have left in our souls no place for resentment against the men who fought 
us nobly and valiantly. 

" You fought and acted in compliance with the same call of duty as we, 
for we all but represent the power of our respective states. You fought us as 
men, face to face, and with great courage, as before stated, a quality which we 
had not met during the three years we have carried on this war against a 
people without morals, without conscience and of doubtful origin, who could 
not confront the enemy, but hidden, shot their noble victims from ambush 
and then immediately fled. This was the kind of warfare we had to sustain 
in this unfortunate land. 

Our Troops Praised by the Enemy. 

" You have complied exactly with all the laws and usages of war as 
recognized by the armies of the most civilized nations of the world, have 
given honorable burial to the dead of the vanquished, have cured their 
wounds with great humanity ; have respected and cared for their prisoners 
and their comfort, and lastly, to us, whose conditions were terrible, you have 
given freely of food, of your stock of medicines and you have honored us 
with distinguished courtesy, for after the fighting the two armies mingled 
with the utmost harmony. 

" With this high sentiment of appreciation from us all there remains 
but to express our farewell, and with the greatest sincerity we wish you all 
happiness and health in this land, which will no longer belong to our dear 
Spain, but will be yours, who have conquered it by force and watered it 
with your blood, as your conscience called for, under the demand of civi- 
lization and humanity, but the descendants of the Congo and of Guinea, 
mingled with the blood of unscrupulous Spaniards and of traitors and adven- 
turers, these people are not able to exercise or enjoy their liberty, for they will 
find it a burden to comply with the laws which govern civilized communities. 
From 11,000 Spanish soldiers. " Pedro Lopez De Castillo, 

" Soldier of Infantry!' 

Upon the return of the repatriated soldiers to Spain, with their accom- 
paniment of disease, exhaustion, misery and destitution, they expressed sen- 
timents of the highest esteem for the American troops. 

What was considered to be a fair representation of their impressions and 
opinions upon the subject was summarized in an article which was published 
in all the Spanish newspapers. It was as follows : 

" Nearly all the American soldiers appear to be over twenty-five years of 



266 



THE FALL OF SANTIAGO. 



age, and are very robust in appearance. The regular army fights very well, 
and has an excellent fighting spirit. Among the battalions there is much 
rivalry, the men advancing with chests bare, striving which shall plant the 
colors furthest forward. 

" The soldiers are of three colors — black, brown, and white. In cam- 
paign the uniform of the generals, chiefs, and officers is the same as that of 
the troops, distinguished only by the stripes worn at the shoulders. Camp 
uniform is dark, with a flannel shirt similar to that of our sailors, and a 
tunic of impermeable cloth. For campaigning the costume is of impermeable 
cloth. 

" In the felt hat the majority of them carry to the left a toothbrush, and 
in the front a small shield, on which are embroidered crossed carbines and 
the number of the battalion. Generally the soldier carries with him his pro- 
visions and a flask full of vinegar, the latter as a preservative against the 
ague. 

" The armament of the soldier is good. He carries a rifle similar to the 
Mauser, only charged with seven cartridges in place of five, of the same 
calibre, and in a case of white metal a sword bayonet like that of the Mauser, 
but shorter. 

" The battalions are very full, and the number of companies to each 
superior to ours. They said, in speaking to our (Spanish) officers, that they 
did not mind having heavy losses, as there was an over-abundance of popula- 
tion in their country. 

Bands of Music in Camp. 

" Their regular alimentation consisted of coffee in the morning, two other 
meals and iced drinks — ice which they brought in large cars to the camps— 
and a two-pound loaf of bread. In their camps they had their bands, which 
played until nine in the morning, and until nine at night. 

" The sentinels in the camps conducted themselves with the most extreme 
care and vigilance, not allowing themselves any distractions nor smoking; 
but when, on the other hand, they were on the march, they smoked and 
chatted, and sat while they placed their guns up against a wall. 

" The soldiers were not allowed to enter the same places as the officers. 
For example, in the boulevard of Santiago, where a battalion had been posted, 
sentinels were placed at the doors of the cafes, and the soldiers could only 
obtain refreshments by permission. To avoid scandals and scenes, the Ameri- 
can Generals had decreed that the drinking establishments should be closed, 
so that the soldiers should not drink alcohol. 

" Among the volunteers, as is known, were some of the representatives 



THE FALL Of SANTIAGO. 



267 



of the highest families in the United States, and some millionaires. There 
were some medical volunteers, who, together with the Red Cross Society, 
were at Santiago at the disposition of the Spanish soldiers. There were also 
some ladies, and young ladies, elegantly dressed, and who were devoting 
themselves to the cares of nursing the wounded and sick, from highest to 
lowest. 

"Religion being free, there w r ere entire battalions of Roman Catholics, 
and on Sundays they went to mass at Santiago. 

u The Generals convey their orders in the simplest possible manner, and 
they are obeyed with mathematical rapidity. 

u The sanitary train is excellent, and for the transport of the repatriated 
(Spaniards) from the hospitals outside the walls the Americans gave all their 
ambulance coaches, which are very well equipped, and drawn by six mules, 
with automatic brake, and driven by one man. 

" The regular army always fights in the vanguard. In marching they go 
whistling or singing. From the moment they reached Santiago they never 
missed a moment in practising with arms and drilling. Their infantry is very 
well instructed, and one of their battalions distinguished itself by the extreme 
rapidity with which it dug and formed trenches. 

" Their activity is so great that they have not occupied a place more than 
half an hour before they have it fortified. Of cavalry there is little. The 
mounts are poor." 

It must be remembered that the above are not expert opinions, but a 
number of impressions taken from many mouths, and from the soldiers as they 
arrived. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Graphic Accounts by Naval Officers of the Bombardmen\ 
of San Juan, Porto Rico. 

E come now to narratives concerning Porto Rico. Early in the 
blockade, before Admiral Cervera's fleet was definitely located, it 
was rumored to be at various harbors in the Caribbean Sea, among 
L.yvs» v *j others at the strongly fortified harbor of San Juan on the island of 
Porto Rico. 

To establish the truth of this report, Admiral Sampson bombarded the 
place, reaching the harbor at daybreak on May 12th. As soon as it was 
sufficiently light an attack was begun upon the batteries defending the city, 
and the bombardment was continued three hours. One man was killed on 
the New York, and seven were wounded on the fleet. The fact was estab- 
lished that the Spanish vessels were not in the harbor, and the American 
squadron withdrew without damage. 

At Key West, lying in the convent, which had been turned over to the 
government, were several battered heroes of the Iowa at San Juan. First 
was George Merkle, of New York, a private of marines, who was so badly 
wounded in the right arm that the doctors cut it off. Only two of the men 
there were able to tell their story. They were John Engle, of Baltimore, and 
John Mitchell, of New York, both able seamen. Mitchell was wounded by 
a fragment of shell that tore to his ribs on the right side, and Engle carried 
crutches because of a damaged right foot. 

" The bombardment of San Juan," said Engle, "was only amusement for 
the men on the Iowa. We didn't lose a shell we sent toward the batteries, 
because, you see, ever since the Maine was blown up we have had target 
practice nearly every day, and we had no excuse for wasting ammunition. 

" I remember that I heard one man who was at a gun with me say every 
time she was fired, ' I wonder how many Spaniards that hit ? ' 

" How did we feel under fire ? Why, just full of fun. The boys were 
singing, and down on the berth deck, where the batteries were being held in 
reserve, they had a series of waltzes while we were at work in the turrets, 
and on the spar deck. There was singing and cheering, and some of us 
enjoyed good smokes while the firing was going on. 

" Suddenly a shell burst over our heads and there came a rain of metal. 
The doctor rushed up from the sick bay and asked the chaplain if anybody 
had been hurt. The chaplain said, ' Yes/ and they took three of us below- 
26$ 





269 



270 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



That stopped the gayety for a while, and some of the boys crowded down to 
see how badly we were hurt. They went back to work in a minute, though, 
and as soon as they saw the damage done by the next gun they cheered 
harder than ever. 

" We didn't fire so many shots at the forts. The Spaniards wasted an 
awful lot on us. We just fooled them. The ships on which pieces of shells 
fell were not the ones they aimed at. We were sailing in column in a circle 
and firing when we got in line with our object. At first we went by at 
twenty-one hundred yards. The Spaniards tried to get that range, and I sup- 
pose they got it, but our next move was to go in at eighteen hundred yards, 
and the shells from the forts went over us. Of course, some of the ships 
going around the circle were at the twenty-one hundred yard distance while 
we were further in. That was how the New York and Iowa happened to be 
hit by bursting shells. The Spaniards aimed at the inside ships, they thought, 
and went away over them." 

The New York was Hit. 

How San Juan was bombarded by Admiral Sampson's fleet is told in a 
letter written by Stephen Raybold, an officer on the Indiana, which is dated 
on board the Indiana, off the Haytian coast, May 13th, and says in part: 

" We left Key West at midnight on May 2d, for Porto Rico, to meet the 
Spanish fleet. Off Porto Rico at two o'clock on Thursday morning, all hands 
were piped to get coffee, hard tack and ham. The first shot was fired at 
twenty minutes past five by the Indiana and we finished firing at ten o'clock. 

" The Spanish have good guns and plenty of them, but are poor shots. 
The only ship hit was the New York — ventilator broken, one man killed and 
two wounded. Old Glory I saw with a shot hole in the lower inside corner, 
but our flag was still there. 

" The Indiana's marksmanship was praised by the Admiral. Captain 
Taylor, of the Indiana, made a speech the day before the battle praising his 
men. The Admiral' did not want to take the fort, only to size up his men 
under fire, and they were all there and earned his praise. 

" The ships withdrew in good condition to meet the Spanish fleet, but 
we cannot find it. We do not want to sacrifice our ships in taking the port. 
We want the Spanish fleet. 

"Say, old chum, by the light of the moon, the yellow jacket and the 
blood of the sacred mouse, do send me the New York Herald with the ac- 
count of the battles of Matanzas, the Philippines and Porto Rico, and others 
that may be fought. You will do me a heavenly favor, for which I will repay 
you some day. 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN j (JAN. 



271 



"The Indiana blew the whole side of the fort out with her 13-inch shell. 
That dashing sea lion, John C. Fremont, of the torpedo boat Porter, fired his 
toy pistol i-pounder. Don't forget the papers." 

A. V. Drake, who has been secretary of the United States Consulate 
at Mayaguez for three years, reached New York in May, in the Arkadia, the 
first vessel to come north from Cuba after the bombardment of San Juan. 

Mr. Drake said that in making the harbor of San Juan the Arkadia 
passed within four hundred yards of Morro Castle, which is situated on a 
point commanding the entrance of the harbor, and is the chief of the city's 
two fortifications. The outer walls of this stronghold showed the marks of 
between eighty and one hundred shots from the bombarding fleet. 

Right Under Morro's Guns. 

Four big gaps were apparently from the heavy guns. One gun on the 
lower battlement had been cast into the sea, either from an American shell or 
through its own discharge. Mr. Drake believed the former, for the support- 
ing works had been demolished. Half a mile to the eastward of Morro is the 
smaller fortification, and this showed externally the play of the American 
guns. 

" The firing began at half-past five o'clock in the morning and lasted 
until nine," Mr. Drake said. " The agent from whom I learned of the bom- 
bardment lived outside the city, but, awakened by the heavy cannonading, he 
got up and watched the engagement from a safe distance. One vessel, which 
he said he believed was the Iowa, left the fleet, and accompanied by a small 
boat, steamed fairly under Morro's guns. She stationed the small boat, and 
going slowly around it, let fly her shells at every revolution. 

" This was actually so close that the guns on the fortifications could not 
be trained on the warship, and volleys of musketry were showered upon her. 
Soon the fleet was enveloped in such a bank of smoke that Morro's guns 
must have been absolutely helpless. Under cover of the smoke, the daring 
vessel joined the fleet again. 

" Another daring warship was believed to be the monitor Terror. She, 
too, came within easy reach of the shore guns, and every shot from her 
seemed to have taken effect. Once when the seas were breaking over her 
deck, the gunners on Morro, unused to her type, cried in glee, ' See, we have 
sunk her ! ' 

"According to Spanish reports, there were eleven vessels in the bom- 
barding fleet, and the most serious damage was the dismounting of one gun 
and the killing- of one of the gunners. Conflicting stories of the numbt r 
killed in San Juan were current. It was reported soon after the fleet had 



272 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



retired, that sixty had met death, but later reports put the number at six. 
These six, it was said, were the men at the guns. 

" Several shells struck the town, but I have not been able to learn that 
any persons were killed by them. One shot passed through the third story 
of the Hotel Ingleterra, driving the persons inside to the street in their night- 
clothes. No one was hit, however. Another shell went through a large 
warehouse on a dock, shattering a timber pile and lodging in the side plates 
of the Spanish mail steamship Manuela. It nearly sunk her. 

" A French gunboat lying in the harbor had her smokestack pierced by 
a shell and quickly got out of the range of the guns, with the French flag 
flying at both staffs. 

" It seemed strange to me that the American fleet did not continue the 
bombardment until all the fortifications were demolished. The pilot, who 
boarded us off Sandy Hook, said that the fleet had gone to San Juan to 
engage the Spanish fleet, and his statement goes to explain several incidents 
of the attack. 

Trying to Draw Out War Ships. 

" A quantity of small shots were fired in the harbor at first to draw out, 
as I now understand, any Spanish ships that might have been there. 
Although there were in San Juan at the time the cruisers Isabella II. and 
Alfonso XIII. and the gunboat Concho, not one of them took any part in the 
engagement, and the American vessels retired. 

" After it was all over the Alfonso XIII. put to sea to give chase to the 
American liner Paris, as was learned afterward. She returned in three hours 
alone. We saw the same liner fifteen miles away, off Fajardo, on Friday 
morning. She was cruising to the southeast. 

" There was much surprise in San Juan when the American fleet retired. 
If the warships had continued their attack two hours longer the town would 
have surrendered. The authorities, both naval and military, were unable to 
learn how much damage had resulted to the American ships, but it was not 
generally believed In San Juan that the fleet had been compelled to withdraw 
under the fire from the fortifications. 

" There was much disappointment, too, that the Spanish fleet had not 
arrived to protect the town. The warships had been looked for every day for 
two weeks preceding the bombardment, and there were several British vessels 
unloading coal for the fleet when we were at San Juan. The guns which we 
saw on the fortifications in entering the harbor seemed to be of ancient design, 
and I am told that what modern guns the American fleet left are not in fight- 
ing order. Several Krupp guns, which were landed at San Juan a year ago, 
were not removed from the wharf until a couple of weeks ago. 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



273 



" Under Spanish sovereignty, affairs in Porto Rico are anything but pros- 
perous. There is little money in circulation, and there have been many 
failures during the last two years. There is a strong feeling among the 
business men of the island in favor of self-rule, a protectorate under some 
foreign power, or anything that will end Spanish rule. The masses are 
densely ignorant, the majority not being able to read or write. 

" Subscriptions are being sought all over the island for carrying on the 
war. There are 5,000 regular troops and about 8,000 volunteers in Porto 
Rico. They are armed with Remington rifles. The civil guard, 300 strong 
and mounted, have great power. The volunteers could be put to shame, so 
far as discipline and drill are concerned, by the school cadets of this country. 
The military authorities bought large quantities of food when war was immi- 
nent, and it is supposed they have enough for three months' rations for the 
troops. The others have to pay double now for their provisions." 

The Porter's Close Shave. 

When the torpedo boat Porter returned to New York from blockade duty 
at Cuba, she brought home as a relic an eighteen-foot $3000 torpedo of Ger- 
man construction, which she recovered from the sea off the south coast of 
Cuba, fourteen miles east of Santiago, on June 3rd last. It is supposed that 
this projectile was fired at the Merrimac while Hobson was taking her into 
the narrow neck of Santiago harbor. The Porter sighted two torpedoes, but 
lost one, the projectile sinking while the crew was trying to get it on deck. 
The relic on the deck of the Porter weighed 11 00 pounds. 

"We left Santiago," said Ensign I. V. Gillis, " on July 9th, sailed from 
Key West northward on July 14th, and from Savannah three days later, arriv- 
ing in New York ten days out from Santiago. The Porter has proved herself 
staunch, swift and capable. We came here for repairs. 

" We were in action at San Juan. It seemed as if the entire shore opened 
fire on us at once. When it is considered that a bullet from a Mauser rifle 
would go clear through our hull, the effect of a shell striking us may be 
imagined. We immediately opened fire, however, with our one-pounders, and 
are confident one battery was made much less valuable by the attentions of 
the Porter. We were signalled to retire to safer quarters, and made our way 
out at once. While retiring I sat on the steps to the upper structure forward. 
I saw a six-pounder shot coming and remarked that it looked as though it 
would land. The shot passed three feet above my head and fell into the 
w^ter astern, scarcely clearing the after portion of the Porter. Another shot 
came from the same battery while we lay broadside toward it, and went over 
our heads by only a little. 
18 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



" Immediately after the destruction of Cervera's fleet we were near San- 
tiago. When that Austrian war ship came sailing up from the southeast it 
was interesting to see the great flotilla of transport ships, mistaking the flag 
of Austria for that of Spain, go scurrying off to where the Iowa was lying and 
huddle behind her like a brood of chickens seeking shelter." 

Lieutenant John C. Fremont had charge of the Porter. 

Spanish "Terror" Disabled. 

One of the interesting events of the blockade was the disabling of the 
Spanish torpedo-boat destroyer Terror, by the unarmored cruiser St. Paul, a 
former American liner, commanded by Captain Sigsbee. 

In defeating the Terror Captain Sigsbee rendered a most important ser- 
vice to our navy, and, indeed, to all navies. He not only deprived Sampson's 
fleet of apprehension of an attack in the rear some dark night by this vicious 
little boat, but he demonstrated that an auxiliary cruiser is amply able to take 
care of herself against a torpedo gunboat, showing that the offensive power of 
this craft had been very much overrated. The torpedo gunboat was an untried 
quality in naval warfare up to this time. Swifter than a torpedo boat, sea- 
worthy and possessed of the armament of which the torpedo boat is void, the 
torpedo gunboat had been a terror in imagination to all naval men. The 
presence of such a Spanish gunboat, the Temerario, in the River Platte in the 
pathway of the Oregon on her cruise around South America, had been for 
several weeks a cause for great anxiety at the Navy Department. Captain 
Sigsbee showed, with an unarmored cruiser, armed with only five-inch guns, 
that torpedo boats are not to be feared, at least in daylight. 

Captain Luke, of the British steamship Ravensdale, which was in San 
Juan harbor on the day of the fight, thus describes it : 

" I was on a hill and saw the whole affair," the skipper said. " It was a 
fine sight. The flashes from the guns, the puffs of smoke, and the bursting 
of the shells made a grand picture. 

H Why, I never saw such a plucky fight as the Terror made, and the 
firing from the St. Paul was as reckless as any I ever heard about. She threw 
shots and shells for at least two hours, while the daring little torpedo boat 
steamed as close as three-quarters of a mile to her antagonist. Her torpedo 
tubes could not carry the range. Finally, a shot from the St. Paul struck the 
Terror on the port side, abaft of her third funnel. It crashed into the engine 
room, where it exploded. The chief engineer, who was a Spaniard, was hit 
in the head by a piece of the flying shell, as he held the throttle. He was 
hurled into the machinery, and met his death in that manner. The assistant 
engineer had both his legs cut off by fragments of the shell, and died next day. 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



275 



"The killing of the engineer, and the disabling of his assistant, left no 
one to work the engines. But for this the Terror would have made a dash to 
torpedo the St. Paul, and she would not have been in port to-day. 

"Another of the American's shots struck the Terror's deck. The latter 
had a hole in her side about two feet high and eight inches wide, but I don't 
believe her machinery was disabled by the American fire. Her exhaust pipe 
was hit, and that caused her to leak. When I left San Juan on June 26th 
repairs to the torpedo boat had nearly been completed, and I guess she is now 
as good as ever. There were no more than two killed, and about four or five 
wounded on the Terror." 

The New York's Midnight Danger. 

One dark night toward the close of May the torpedo boat Porter mistook 
the flagship New York for a Spanish vessel, and but for the courage and cool- 
ness of the officers the latter might have been blown out of the waters. Here 
is the story as told by a correspondent who was aboard the Porter : 

" They met one dark night under strange circumstances which would 
have justified either in destroying the other, and for a few seconds the lives 
of five hundred men were in the hands of one. The torpedo boat lay so 
close under the cruiser's side that one could have tossed a biscuit against it. 
One turn of a wrist and the New York and her crew must have met the fate 
of the Maine and hers. 

" But, inviting death while he waited, Lieutenant John C. Fremont, of 
the Porter, hailed once more — a lion's voice ringing clear above the churning 
screws and humming blowers — and that final hail averted the catastrophe. It 
is memorable that duty scarcely demanded this last warning. 

" No one has printed this story before. It is told everywhere in the fleet. 
It was stifled at the time lest brave men be censured. Now it may be told 
freely and brave men may be praised. I was on board the Porter. 

" There are some things about it which have never been explained. It 
appears that the New York was some distance from her blockading station. 
For the rest you must know that the fleet was displaying no lights except an 
occasional electric signal ; that the night was dark ; that Cervera's fleet was 
not accounted for, and that his cruisers and destroyers were expected at any 
moment ; that the Porter was on scout duty, and, more important yet, the 
usually infallible night signal apparatus of the New York played Sampson 
false for once and brought him and all who sailed with him nearer to death 
than they have been before or since. 

"There was steadfast courage on the fhgship, too — the courage which 
bids a man wait when it is easier to fire and have done. Captain Chadwick, 



276 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



of the New York, thought he could have rammed and sunk the torpedo boat 
that night. Lieutenant Fremont knew he could blow up the cruiser, that 
nothing could save her if he loosed his port torpedo, which was trained and 
ready and had not fifty yards to run. But both men waited that extra second 
which marks the hero, and the nation escaped an occurrence awful enough to 
have changed materially the history of which it is so proud to-day. 

Narrow Escape for the Flagship. 

"An officer who was beside me on the Porter that night when we 
expected to be riddled by the cruiser or to go down with her when our tor- 
pedo tore her asunder summed up something of the gravity of that midnight 
meeting when he said to me next morning: 'Young man, you will never have 
a closer call than that before you die.' I believed him then. I had even 
more reason to believe him later on when we learned more of the flagship's 
side of the story. 

" On both vessels next day it was known and acknowledged that the 
torpedo boat had come within an ace of sinking the New York, and that the 
flagship, her men at the guns, would have rammed or sunk the Porter had 
the disclosure of her identity been delayed a few seconds longer. 

u Of the many strange encounters during those nights of cruising, when 
sometimes as many as twenty ships moved along without lights in hostile 
waters, this was the strangest and most momentous. A mere tug with a six- 
pounder or two, the Leyden it was, held up one of Her Majesty's cruisers on 
the high seas, firing across her bows and demanding sternly, with that rising 
inflection known to all who were with the fleet: 'What ship is that?' The 
astonished British captain, thus bearded by a mere towboat, replied with 
natural choler: 'This is Her Majesty's ship Talbot' 

" The man on the bridge of the Leyden saw something humorous in the 
situation, and shouted, facetiously : 

"'Good night, Talbot!' 

"In solemn tones there came from the outraged cruiser the reply: 
"'You may go, Leyden.' And the Leyden went. The Talbot's com- 
mander was not disposed to think the thing funny, and his opinion, like his 
battery, was the weightier. 

" Commander Todd, of the Wilmington, confessed that he was about to 
sink the Herald dispatch boat Albert F. Dewey one night when he discovered 
her close inshore and mistook her for a Spanish gunboat. All the port guns 
were trained on her, but, holding her safe, he waited a second or two before 
giving the order to fire, and that space sufficed to give him a better view of 
her. The Dewey's men did not know for a week or more how near they were 



278 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



to death. Some of them never knew, for there are tales one never tells to 
firemen and deck hands who pine for simple towing in peaceful waters. 

" So much to show you how ticklish was navigation by night off the coast 
where Sampson's unlit ships watched the Spanish batteries on the one hand and 
scanned the sea on the other for Cervera's torpedo-boat destroyers. Men were 
sent to general quarters time and again these wakeful nights, and in time the 
continued tension began to tell. The Furor and the Pluton were held almost 
incredibly fast in those days, and the orders were to sink any suspicious craft 
which prowled about the fleet and failed to answer the night fleet signal. 

Grim Scout Duty. 

"It was the Porter's business to prevent any Spanish vessel from creeping 
upon the blockading squadron unawares. The American ships, at all hazards, 
must be apprised of the approach of an enemy. The Ardois system of signal 
lights includes a signal which, flashed for a second in the darkness, means, 
' Enemy's vessel in sight' That might be used if the scout were within signal 
distance of Sampson's ships when he discovered a hostile craft. But as fog 
and darkness are pre-eminently the conditions favorable for torpedo work, the 
Porter's business was to investigate the character of any strange ship, and, if 
satisfied that she was Spanish, to blow her up. 

" When we rounded up the New York that night there was every reason 
to believe that she was one of Cervera's ships, at least for a few awful seconds, 
and Lieutenant Fremont was between two fears — one that he might allow an 
enemy to escape, the other that he might destroy a friend. 

" On that dark blockade the American ships recognized each other in 
two ways — one being the position in which a vessel appeared, which should 
be her night blockading station, and the other being an Ardois signal, which 
was changed from night to night. So if, for instance, the New York, cruising 
slowly westward, sighted another ship running without lights and not occupy- 
ing one of the blockading stations, she would flash, let us say, two red lights 
above one white one. If the stranger answered properly and promptly the 
New York could go about her business. Otherwise the batteries would be 
manned, a signal warning all vessels within signal distance would be set, and 
the flagship would close in and get the stranger's range. 

" It was grim work in the dark, but Lieutenant Fremont, ever cheerful, 
went about his scout duty with the complacency of a man whose mind is 
easy. I recall an odd conversation that night which seemed still more odd 
when I thought of it later. It sheds a curious light on what followed. 

" 'These Spanish destroyers have heavier batteries than yours/ I said, 
• What would you do if you ran across one of them out here ?' 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



279 



" ' Well,' said the son of the Pathfinder, ' it's my business to keep them 
from getting in among the fleet. I'd try to do it. I'd engage a destroyer, 
and if I found his battery was too heavy for me I'd close in. If a chance 
offered I'd torpedo him. If not — well, this boat has made twenty-six knots. 
I'd go at him full speed. I think the Porter would go half way through him 
before we stopped.' 

" 'And then?' I asked, with perhaps a pardonable curiosity as to our fate 
in a contingency which might arise before morning. 

"'And then,' he said, ' I think there would be a swimming match. It 
saves time to have your mind made up in advance in such matters.' 

" ' A light on the port bow/ the lookout announced. 

" The Lieutenant looked at it for a moment and spoke to the man in the 
conning tower. We were going along gently, making only about five knots 
an hour. 

" ' How's your head ? ' he asked. 

" 4 Nor'west by west-half-west,' was the reply. 

" The course was altered until we steered for the light. ' Three-quarters 
speed/ said Fremont. The long craft quivered, seemed to hesitate for a second, 
and then shot through the dark seas at eighteen knots. We ran thus for half 
an hour — swift, invisible, a black-shape on the dark water. We approached 
the coast. The speed was slackened, and we crept into a narrow bay. The 
men went silently to the guns — two I -pounders. Silently the Porter moved 
in until we made out the shore line. The light was beyond it, and as it 
was on shore we had no business with it, and we steamed back to our station 
and began to sweep in great circles again over the area of water which we 
were to guard. 

" Sometimes lights flashed from invisible signal masts here and there. 
The ships were talking — challenging one another and making sure that only 
friendly keels were near. 

Oruiser and Torpedo Boat. 

" As we crept out from the bay, ourselves invisible, to approach the in- 
visible fleet, the ray of a searchlight at the Morro flashed out in the darkness, 
a shaft of light, dimmed by distance. Away to starboard of us, where one 
saw only empty night one moment, a signal burned above some cruiser the 
next. The Spanish searchlight disclosed nothing to Spanish eyes. Like 
Kipling's destroyers, we were unseen. 

. . . Stare well, oh hooded eyne, 

Save where the dazed rock pigeons rise, 

The lit cliffs give no sign, 



280 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



"We cruised westward. I lay down on deck near a i-pounder — too near. 
Lieutenant Fremont went below for a nap. Ensign Gillis — it was he who 
picked up a Spanish torpedo afterward by springing overboard and unscrew- 
ing its 'war nose ' so it could be hauled aboard safely — was in charge of the 
Porter for the time. There was quiet until half-past two in the morning. 

" Then the I -pounder beside me woke me as thoroughly as if it Lad been 
a 13-inch gun, and I raced to the conning tower to see what had happened, 
and saw what seemed to be the very biggest ship in the world looming up on 
our port bow, indistinct in the gloom, but close enough to sink us without 
fail a second after the order to fire. 

" We had fired across her bow to stop her and learn if she were friend or 
foe. Foe it seemed she was, for our guns were trained on her, and the port 
torpedo was ready to leap from its tube and do for her what we expected she 
would do for us in a second or two. 

" Lieutenant Fremont stood before .the conning tower. Gillis had made 
out the loom of the stranger when we were a quarter of a mile away and had 
awakened his commander. Silently the Porter stole upon the dark warship. 
When we were but two hundred yards away or less, and so within easy signal 
distance, the night fleet signal was flashed by the torpedo boat. 

" Two white lights and one red. It burned for a second or so, and then 
it was turned off. There was no reply. The stranger, dark and unheeding, 
moved slowly westward. That she had not seen it was inconceivable, for 
there were twenty men looking out for signals on every American warship at 
this time, and no one could believe that they had overlooked that well-known 
signal flashed clear so close at hand. 

Close to Death. 

" The Porter shot close, so close that every man on her felt that desperate 
work was in hand, and that now we were in for it beyond recall. The New 
York is, perhaps, the easiest of the American ships to recognize, but so dark 
was it that she was strange to practiced eyes. Moreover, the direction from 
which we approached was such that we had her masts and smoke-pipes in a 
confusing line, and so were unable to distinguish the marks which, if seen 
clearly, would have proclaimed her identity instantly. 

" Our blowers were making a loud, droning noise. The movement of 
both vessels through the water added to the difficulty of hearing. Fremont's 
voice rose so that I thought it must have rung through the strange ship. But 
the crew of the strange ship were rushing to their guns. 

"'Stop those damned blowers,' Fremont said. 

" He was calm • even deliberate. His eyes swept forward and then aft. 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



281 



" ' Are the guns trained on her ?' he asked. 

"'Aye, aye, sir,' came from both I -pounders. The torpedo, too, was 
ready. It had been tested for pressure but a few hours earlier. At each gun 
a jackie stood like a statue, his shoulder bent against the rest, his eye on the 
enemy. In such moments the eye notices queer details. I remember won- 
dering that jackie at the bow gun could stand there so quietly, ready to fight 
the great ship which towered above us with that absurd i-pounder. As 
Jackie answered 'Aye, aye, sir,' his commander's voice rang out again. This 
time he was hailing. The voice was very stern and menacing, and the inflec- 
tion rising : ' What — ship — is — that ?' 

u No answer. ' Fire across her bow.' Bang ! went our bow gun, and 
the metal rattled as the men shoved another shell home, and trained the piece 
again. 

" ' Show the night fleet signal,' Fremont said, and it flashed again — two 
white lights above a red one. We were under the stranger's quarter now, 
close aboard. For one of us there was no escape. At that range a torpedo 
must destroy the big ship inevitably. 

" A second after our signal burned, the stranger's signal mast blazed, and 
there hung an answering signal, but not the right one. Instead of two white 
lights and a red one, there burned two red ones and a white «one. For a 
moment it flashed through Fremont's mind that an enemy might be attempt- 
ing to use the American signals. 

The Highest Courage. 

"There was no time to think about it. There was a flash from the 
stranger's forward fighting top, and a shell whistled over us. Some man in 
the top had fired without orders, it seems, but of that we know nothing. We 
saw only the flash of the gun, and believed that rifles and machine guns would 
be riddling us a second later. The big guns could not be depressed enough 
to bear on us, so close were we. Fremont had been hailing at the moment, 
and his face had been turned away from that top from which the gun was fired, 

" 4 Did that shot come from her ?' he shouted. 

" ' Yes, sir,' said a jackie and I in the same breath. 

" All these things had occupied but a few moments, passing with uncon- 
ceivable rapidity. For a second, perhaps, Lieutenant Fremont stood still and 
silent, and his men and those on the decks high above us held their aim and 
their breath, and waited for a word which would turn loose a torpedo from 
the Porter, and a hail of fire from the flagship. 

" In that long second Fremont, holding the great cruiser at his mercy, 
even more than the cruiser held us at hers, weighed the chances and gave 



282 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



them one more chance. It was to be their last. I read it in the sudden 
straightening of his form and the menacing hail which I hear yet : ' What — 
ship — is — that ?' 

" On the heels of that hail came an answer from the cruiser, and at the 
first English word our men let go the breath they had been holding in one 
great sigh of relief, for the answer rang clear and loud : 4 This is the New 
York !' 

" On the cruiser's deck there was a sound as of men shifting their feet, 
and a confused murmur as they fell away from their guns. 

Mutual Explanations 

"The Porter's commander spoke again, and this time there was no 
menace in his voice, but wonder only : ' Is that Captain Chadwick ? ' 
" ' Yes,' answered the New York's captain ; 1 is that the Porter ? ' 
u ' Yes, sir/ 

H ' Why didn't you show the night-fleet signal?' 

" ' We did, sir, twice. There was no answer the first time. The second 
time — just now — the New York displayed the wrong signal.' 

"Captain Chadwick thought that could not be so, but every one on the 
torpedo boat knew it was ; and after some more explanation, which did not 
approach recrimination, the Porter swung away from the flagship and glided 
off into the night. I recollected then that I had stooped below the conning 
tower when the New York's gun flashed, though it was obviously too late, 
and the light structure would have afforded no protection. I recalled, too, 
that neither the jackies nor the officers near me had attempted to dodge, and 
I wondered at that. 

" As was customary, several captains met in the admiral's cabin on the 
flagship in the morning, and I was told afterward that the night encounter was 
the subject of considerable talk. It appears that Admiral Sampson himself 
had been awake. _And I was informed, when some one said to Lieutenant 
Fremont that the Porter should have been more careful about the night-fleet 
signal, the Admiral said gravely: 'I saw the Porter's signal displayed, and 
there was no answer from this vessel.' 

" There was an end to that argument at least, but a torpedo man from 
the Porter and an officer of the flagship asked each other what would have 
happened if the Porter's hail had not been answered just when it was. 

" ' Do you know what our next order would have been ? ' asked the flag- 
ship man. 

" ' No,' said his friend from the Porter. ' What would it have been ? ' 
" ' Full speed ahead and ram ! ' was the reply. 



BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 



283 



" The torpedo man laughed. ' You'd never have rammed us,' he said, 
and indeed he was right. But for the discovery which came like a reprieve 
at the last second of endurance the New York was doomed. The Porter 
might have been sunk ; the flagship must have been. 

" It was said afterward that there was some defect that night in the New 
York's signal outfit. That an appalling catastrophe was averted by the cour- 
age of men who held their hands at the risk of sacrificing their lives there can 
be no doubt The story is told in ward rooms aver a social glass nowadays, 
and told lightly, for now there is no need to run without lights and Cervera's 
fleet is no more. It is known, too, that the Furor and Pluton were not as fast 
or as dangerous as they were thought to be. And anyway the war is over. 

" But there in the night, when the enemy, an unknown quantity, was ex- 
pected off Havana, when men had grown nervous from long tension, lack of 
sleep and much watching, the midnight encounter needed but a touch to turn 
it into a tragedy of the sea which would have been more lamentable, more 
heart-breaking, than that of the Victoria and the Camperdown. 

" It is noteworthy that the men most concerned said little of the affair, 
and nothing publicly, careful of the good of the service. They who had dared 
so much in the dark did not accuse each other when the incident was closed, 
but let the affair sleep. Yet I think it is well that it were told; for higher and 
rarer surely than the courage which animates a man in open fight by day is 
that spirit which bade men wait, and which averted a national calamity that 
dark night off the Cuban coast." 



CHAPTER XVII. 



General Miles' Campaign in Porto Rico. 




|AVING wrested the Pearl of the Antilles from the Crown of Spain, 
it was not expected that we should leave her in quiet possession 
of a beautiful island just half-way from New York to Cadiz, half- 
way from Newport News to the Canaries, and equi-distant from 
Key West and from Colon. During the time that elapsed between the issue 

of the Santiago campaign 
and the departure of the 
Porto Rico expedition un- 
der command of Major- 
General Nelson A. Miles, 
its proposed movements 
and methods of attack, with 
a view to secure a foothold 
on Porto Rican soil at the 
earliest date, had been so 
widely circulated that its 
commander made up his 
mind to turn this very pub- 
licity to advantage. 

The reading public of 
the two hemispheres knew 
for a fact that when Gene- 
ral Miles left Guantanamo 
Bay on Thursday evening, 
July 2 1st, his immediate 
' * destination was San Juan, 

GENERAL NELSON A. MILES. impregnable as the latter 

fondly claimed to be behind her rock-ribbed fortresses, and the Spaniards 
accordingly made all possible preparations for his reception at that point. 

On the following Monday, however, as the fleet steamed at full speed 
alone the northern coast of Porto Rico, straight for the capital, a consultation 
was suddenly signaled for, at the conclusion of which the ships were ordered 
to veer about, and their course was retraced to the northwestern extremity of 
the island , southward they then went through the Mona Passage, which sepa- 
284 




THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



rates Hayti from Porto Rico, then eastward around Point Aquila, and the next 
morning, July 2.6th, they lay in five fathoms of water in the quiet bay of 
Guanica, one of the only three safe harbors in the island of Porto Rico. 

A few hours later the following report was cabled to the Secretary of 
War at Washington : 

" Circumstances were such that I deemed it advisable to take the harbor 
of Guanica first, fifteen miles west of Ponce, which was successfully accom- 
plished between daylight and u o'clock. Spaniards surprised. The Glou- 
cester, Commander Wainwright, first entered the harbor ; met with slight 
resistance ; fired a few shots. All the transports are now in the harbor, and 
infantry and artillery rapidly going ashore. 




Occupied by American Troops. 

Thus easily had the commander of this expedition outwitted the foe, In 
an hour after Lieutenant Hughes and his blue jackets from the Gloucester and 
the men of Battery B, Fifth Artillery, had landed and driven the guardia civile 
out of Guanica, the town was as much an American village as Marion, Mas- 
sachusetts, wrote a special correspondent. 

American telegraph wires were hanging from the roofs, American sol- 
diers were gathering starfish along the shore and American music was being 
played by the Sixth Massachusetts Band in the plaza. Rows of white tents 
stretched along the level lowlands and camp-fires burned on all the surround- 
ing hills. The inhabitants returned to find their homes guarded by friendly 
sentries. Nothing had been touched. No one's house or grounds had been 
invaded. 

It was a masterly, well-ordered occupation, and while the Spaniards were 
hurrying with forced marches to San Juan Point to meet the invading forces, 
the American army was comfortably encamped at Guanica, and was there to 
stay. 

Two days after the City of Ponce, having previously surrendered to 
Commander C. Davis, of the auxiliary gunboat Dixie, was formally given 
over to General Miles and General Wilson. Having made so successful a 
debut, our expedition was not slow to improve upon it. 

General Brooke, with General Haines' brigade, effected a landing at 
Arroyo, a point on the south coast practically opposite San Juan, on the 



286 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



north coast; and thence advanced to Guayama, a town of considerable 
importance, in direct communication by road with the capital, on the 5th of 
August. 

General Wilson picked out the turnpike which begins at Ponce (five 
miles east of Guanica) and ends at San Juan, marched twenty-five miles north- 
ward to Coamo, which he occupied, and took up a position a few miles far- 
ther, before Abonito, where a large Spanish force was collected. 

Further to the west of the route selected by General Henry, with a pai t 
of General Garretson's brigade and a small force of regulars, was a more 
arduous one. It lay over the highest mountain range in the island, and 
before the first twenty -five miles of their march had been covered the men 
had climbed to an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level. Thus notwithstand- 
ing and despite the hardships incidental to roads deep in mud or beset with 
rocks, the command obtained possession of Adjuntas, then of Utuada, and 
pushed their way to a point fifteen miles from Arecibo. 

Lastly, on the extreme west, General Schwann, with the Eleventh Infan- 
try, two regular batteries and a troop of regular cavalry, had the good fortune 
to have the railroad to help him on his way to Yauco, a distance of fifteen 
miles from Ponce ; and thence marched along the coast to Mayaguez, the 
principal port at that end of the island, and took it after a sharp skirmish with 
a force considerably larger than his own. 

In nineteen days the American line had thus far advanced across the 
island an average distance of twenty-five miles from the southern coast, and 
each command was ready for a forward march upon San Juan when the tidings 
of peace negotiations abruptly stopped their progress within sight of the goal. 

Captured a Royal Flag. 

The liveliest battle of the brief campaign was that which resulted in the 
capture of Coamo, at which a royal Spanish flag was captured. This flag was 
sent to President McKinley. 

" This is, I believe," said Captain Hall, in speaking of his mission, " the 
only standard captured in actual battle, and we had a bit of a tussle for it. 
From the time we landed until we reached Coamo we had practically nothing 
to do in the way of fighting. We simply marched in at one side of the towns 
and the Spaniards marched out of the other side. But when we came to 
Coamo we found it fortified and partially entrenched. 

<l Here also the Spaniards made a very determined stand. The fortifica- 
tions were on the eastern side of the place. So leaving the artillery to open 
the attack on that side my regiment proceeded to execute a flank movement 
with the object of getting in on the west side. In order to do this we had to 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



287 



. march up a very steep mountain pass — it was not even the pretence of a road 
— and we had to march the whole distance, which was about five miles, in 
Indian file." 

Captain Hall smi ed a little grimly at the remembrance of that march in 
the darkness between two and four o'clock in the morning. 

" Just as we got into position," he continued, " we heard our artillery 
open fire on the east side of the place, and we began to get disappointed, for 
we thought we should be too late. But we were not. A detachment of the 
Spaniards had come out on the western side, and were lying ambushed be- 
hind a stone wall, with a thick hedge of cactus in front of it, and no sooner 
did we reach their hiding place than they poured a volley right into our midst. 
I don't know how it happened, but somehow, though they seemed good 
enough shots, though they had the range all right, and the bullets whistled in 
amongst us, yet only eight of our men were wounded. 

" We didn't allow that sort of thing to go on without very complete 
retaliation," he went on, between cigar puffs. " We had to fire through the 
cactus hedge, where the Spaniards were hidden, but whenever a man showed 
any portion of his body that man was instantly killed. The officers must 
have been very brave fellows. They exposed themselves to our fire repeatedly 
and unhesitatingly. We killed three. The commandant was wonderfully 
brave. Three times he rode in front of his men, giving them orders and 
cheering them on. When at last he was killed we found eight bullets in his 
body. Immediately after his death the Spaniards surrendered. They lost 
seventy-five men That little fight was short, but sharp. It only lasted about 
an hour." 

It was with half a twinge of regret in his voice that Captain Hall went 
on to tell how, just when they were about to storm the fortified position of 
Albonito, the orders for suspension of hostilities reached them. 

" We should have taken it, I feel sure," he said, grimly, " though there 
would probably have been considerable loss of life." 

How Lieutenant Haines was Wounded. 

Lieutenant Haines, commanding an artillery platoon under Captain 
Potts, in Porto Rico, was wounded on August 12th. Talking with his brother, 
Captain T. Jenkins Haines, who was at his bedside in St. Luke's Hospital, 
New York, Lieutenant Haines gave the facts about the engagement in which 
he was wounded. He said : 

" Captain Potts was ordered to proceed up the San Juan road with five 
guns for the purpose of shelling the Spanish trenches at Asomanta. Four 
guns, which included my platoon, were mounted into position in a field near 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



the San Juan road, at a range of 2,000 yards, the fifth gun being sent ahead 
100 yards to our right on the road. 

" Just before we came into action the enemy opened on us with infantry 
volleys and two three-inch howitzers. This hastened us into action. The 
two howitzers were soon silenced and the Spaniards were soon running from 
their intrenchments. Then we slackened our fire, and shortly after we did 
so the enemy took heart and began to return. General James H. Wilson 
sent me with a gun some distance up in the road in advance of the rest to 
try and enfilade the enemy. I proceeded up the road on horseback about 
200 yards nearer and found a company of Wisconsin infantry on a bend of 
the road which formed a cover from the Spanish fire. I passed beyond them 
and the gun was unlimbered in the next turn of the road in a somewhat 
sheltered position. Some of my men told me the enemy was advancing 
within 200 yards in force, and that we must get out or lose the gun. 

" The firing at this time was very heavy. As I could see no Spaniards 
nearer than five or six hundred yards, I had the sergeant run the gun out 
on the road a little. We had no sooner done this than the fire suddenly in- 
creased fiercely, so the gun could not be served. We hauled the gun back 
to the next turn in the road, but were .'-till unable to do any great execution, 
owing to the sheltered position of the enemy. 

Courier Stopped Battle. 

" The fire continued with fierceness, but from our new position we brought 
a house into view. I had the gun instantly trained upon it, as I saw several 
Spaniards there. The very first shot landed fairly upon its side and, pene- 
trating, burst inside, sending things flying. The enemy broke cover, and I 

turned to the sergeant, saying : — ' That was a good one ; now give them .' 

As I turned something struck me through the body. I knew I was badly 
hit, but felt no pain. It was like being struck over the shoulders with a 
club. I passed my hand to my side and brought it away full of blood. The 
sergeant saw me and ran to my side. ' They've got me this time/ I said, and 
he put his arm around me and led me away and let me lie down." 

If the courier, whose message informed General Brooke that hostilities 
had been suspended between the United States and Spain, had not pumped 
his horse and galled himself, the Philadelphia City Troop's name might be 
figuring in history by the side of the Six Hundred, who astonished the world 
at Balaclava. The Troop is home now, and it did not get in a serious fight 
during its entire stay in Porto Rico, but its men are heroes just the same. 
They left everything that is dear to men in the world and went to roughing 
it. And theirs was not a toy campaign, either. 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



289 



Dr. N. C. Lott was quartermaster of the Troop. He is a modest man, and 
one of the few men In the Troop who is not extremely wealthy ; but when the 
call came he left his practice, his wife and their child, and went to the front. 
It is interesting to note at this point that when Pennsylvania's soldiers were 
ordered out, every man in the City Troop, but four, went to Mt. Gretna. One 
of the four was in Japan, one in Montana, one in the Klondike, and one was 
critically ill of pneumonia. The Klondike man and the trooper in Montana 
got back as fast as they could come and joined their command. The man in 
Japan, much to his sorrow it was learned afterward, could not be reached. 

A Soldier's Lot. 

The trip to Ponce, Dr. Lott said, was a nightmare, but it was a soldier's 
lot, and none of the men complained. They expected things of that kind. 
Porto Rico was not a bad place, and as the troopers knew how to take care of 
themselves there were but two cases of serious illness in Captain John C. 
Groome's command, and they were at no time considered critical. 

u There was little chance to fight," continued the doctor, " until we 
arrived near Guayama. The City Troop had been encamped at Arrago ever 
since the march from Ponce. On August 12 it was determined to take 
Aibonito, on the other side of Guayama, and San Juan's strongest outpost. 
Orders were issued that night, and at four o'clock on the 13th we were in the 
saddle. The City Troop marched through Guayama. Orders to trot were 
given, and we passed seven regiments of infantry and some artillery drawn up 
along the road. Two miles beyond we were ordered to halt. 

" The Spanish position at Aibonito was on the top of a hill. It com- 
manded all the roads. I heard guesses at the Spanish strength ranging all 
the way from 2,000 to 6,000, but I think 4,000 men was about right. Their 
defenses were complete. 

" When we halted our artillery was unlimbered, the guns shotted, and the 
gunners had the lanyards in their hands ready to fire on the enemy. General 
Haines' brigade had been ordered to make a demonstration upon the Spanish 
flank, while General Brooke, with the main command, attacked them in the 
front. We were waiting for Haines and his men to get in position. Every- 
thing was in readiness for the fight, and General Brooke was about to give the 
command to open, when through a cloud of dust came a trooper riding as 
though his neck would break. Foam dripped from the horse, perspiration 
streamed down his limbs, and when the soldier jerked the animal up it stood 
there and quivered. Out of breath himself, the man saluted and handed 
General Brooke a message. He was a courier from the telegraph station five 
miles away, and the message was an order announcing the suspension of 
19 



290 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



hostilities. General Brooke looked at him a minute and then growled: 'You 
might have saved your horse a little.' I think the general was a little angry, 
for I believe that he wanted that fight to go on. It would have been a stiff 
one, though, and we would have lost a good many men." 

A City Trooper's Experience. 

A member of the First City Troop, Philadelphia's crack command, wrote 
the following account of his experiences in Porto Rico a few days before sail- 
ing from Ponce, for home on the transport Mississippi : 

ei The troop is once more at the Port of Ponce, ready to move. Home 
is the destination this time, though. The camp at Guayama dragged, or rather 
waded, along its existence of outpost work, special duty, some orderly jobs, 
and the men knew that General Brooke had requested the War Department 
to assign the City Troop permanently to him until negotiations were concluded 
with Spain. 

" This would have meant a march across the Island to San Juan, acting 
with Company H, of the Sixth, as the commanding general's escort. It would 
mean that the troop would have had the unquestionable pleasure of presenting 
sabres to the grand old flag as it went up in the capital of Uncle Sam's new 
colony, never to yield place to any other ensign. 

" The troop greatly appreciated the honor done them by General Brooke's 
request, and the equally great honor of General Miles's endorsement, and it is 
needless to say that the organization that served as the immortal Washington's 
headquarters guard and whose standard first bore the glorious thirteen stripes 
of alternating red and white, which standard served in that particular as Betsy 
Ross's model for the dearly loved national flag, would only too gladly have 
remained in the service and taken part in the ceremonies at San Juan. But 
governmental plans did not permit of this. 

" The troop's active service was abruptly brought to a close on Wednes- 
day, August 24th. The alcalde had been amusing himself by collecting from 
the natives various~assessments in the name of the United States. It is need- 
less to say that he was without authority, and equally needless to say that the 
natives objected. They appealed to General Brooke. Late at night on the 
23d an order reached Captain Groome, directing him to detail sixteen men to 
m ike the march to Selinas, twenty-five miles from Guayama, and restrain the 
avaricious Spaniard. 

" As ordered, Lieutenant McFadden and Corporal Rosengarten, with 
fifteen men with rations for thirty-six hours, reported at headquarters at 6 
o'clock on Wednesday morning. There they were nearly knocked speechless 
by the order to return to camp at once and prepare to proceed to Ponce to 



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291 



take transports for home as soon as ready. They also carried instructions to 
Captain Scott, lately assigned to the command of H Troop, that he supply 
the Selinas detail. 

" Immediately packing up began. The troopers seemed to be uncertain 
whether they were glad to get back or sorry to miss the San Juan duty. But, 
glad or sorry, they went to work with their usual will, and the energy of 
officers and men was rewarded by the completion of the work by retreat, 
although not forced to this step by the enemy. 

Great Downpour of Rain. 

" Everything was ready for an early start. But it sometimes rains in 
Porto Rico. And Thursday, the 25th of August, opened up with the entire 
bottom out of the heavens, and the pent-up floods of ages came down in a solid 
phalanx of water. By 1 1 o'clock the rain had subsided enough to make it 
possible to move in the troop street without being either mired or drowned. 
So ' boots and saddles ' sounded, and in less time than it takes to tell, the be- 
draggled column of fours was sloshing away to the cheers of H Troop ? 
followed by the pitching and tossing ' sea-going ' army wagons, drawn by the 
phlegmatic, pensive, long-eared slaves of the soldier. Reams have been written 
about the army mule, but you can't wear that subject shiny. 

" As the old troop ploughed its way along in the stifling heat — the kind 
that makes a man gasp like a thirsty young chicken — passing General Brooke's 
headquarters, his guard presenting arms, through the splendid B Battery's 
camp, with the men cheering to beat all things, out through the old Fourth 
Pennsylvania's lines, officers and men cheering and howling, guards present- 
ing, bands blowing themselves breathless, as the City Troop passes along its 
triumphant way to the lonely road to Ponce, and as the troopers ride, or dis- 
mount and lead along that scorching, smothering roadway, the troopers can- 
not but feel that what they have done has been appreciated highly by their 
comrades in arms, and they return the cheers with a will. 

" It was not to be expected that such terrible sufferings as the splendid 
soldiers at Santiago were compelled to endure would fall to the lot of the 
army that invaded Porto Rico. The failures of various departments in Cuba 
were atoned for in Porto Rico. It is probable that everything that could be 
done for the health and comfort of the soldiers under Miles and Brooke was 
done. But they could not change the climate. 

" What the City Troop endured is what every other command, which 
arrived in time for active service, must have endured, except that the men 
are stronger physically ; that the cleanliness of all their surroundings is eter- 
nally watched and demanded by their officers, and their tremendous esprit de 



292 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



corps keeps them up through those crucial moments when to give up means 
to be ill. 

" Up to the day of the ' Battle of Peace ' (the 13th) the prospect of the 
fighting kept the men keyed up ; but in that disappointment to the troopers 
began their tour of routine work, and then the climate showed itself. The 
continued wearing of wet clothes, steaming in the sun, the odors and stenches 
that seemed to pervade the whole beautiful little island began to produce pale 
faces ; the dread malaria showed its mark on several sturdy fellows, and day 
after day you would see men go up at roll call and do their full share of 
the work when they were not fit to be out of a hospital. 

" Yet, not only the ordinary discomforts of campaigning — nothing to a 
soldier — but enough to kill the average stay-at-home, these troopers shared 
with the other Americans here to seize Porto Rico for their country ; but they 
shared, as well, some proportions of more than mere discomfort. That their 
proportion was the smallest in the expedition, perhaps, and that no rough box, 
covered with Old Glory, passed, as many did from other commands each day, 
through the streets of Ponce or Guayama from the Philadelphia Troop is due, 
some thought, only to the watchful care of officers, personal cleanliness, grit 
and physique. 

It Was No Picnic. 

" This has been no picnic — no holiday. But let us join the troopers 
again, for by this time they a're passing through Selina, and are making for 
Hacienda de Magdelena, where they spent last night on the road to Arroyo. 
At 1 o'clock they reached it, unsaddled, eat mess of hard tack and canned 
beef, and rest an hour. At 2 o'clock eight of the troops started off again, 
glancing with interest at the various places they halted on the way east to 
throw out their skirmish lines and endeavor to come up with the fleeing Dons. 

w It was 5.30 o'clock when the City Troop and its three w T agons — not to 
mention the four-in-hand oxcarts — turned into the Hacienda del Carmine, 
where they were to bivouac for the night. The laborers had an epidemic of 
small-pox; but, needless to say, Captain Groome, after consulting his medical 
' staff,' selected a safe place, and a dismount brought down some tired and 
some pretty sick men, too. 

" A slight divertissement took place here in the shape of a good, old- 
fashioned ' kill-if-you-can ' fight, between two of the mule skinners. The sen- 
tries promptly placed them both under arrest, and stopped the show abruptly. 
The negroes on the plantation treated us to ' Marching Through Georgia ' 
with words in Spanish at night ; and later, an active invoice of land crabs, 
lizards and spiders — all of herculean proportions — served to while away the 
hours of darkness and keep our thoughts away from home. 



294 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



" At 5 Trumpeter Geiger produced the ' first call,' and after the horses 
were fed, Corporal Biddle fed the men — milk appearing on the menu. The 
milk brought to some one's lucid brain the fact that we had not had a scarcity 
of butter since leaving Newport News, and up to that moment everyone had 
forgotten all about it. 

" At 6 the march was continued ; at noon Santa Isabella was passed, and 
at 3 the weather-beaten guidon jerked and fluttered into Ponce." 

Here occurred a long delay with several showers thrown in, while the 
captain interviewed General Wilson. The march was later taken up to a 
point about a mile from Playa. There the troops went into camp on Friday 
the 26th at 6 o'clock, putting up their canvas and preparing for a long stay. 
The troopers and their horses were tired and ready for sleep. Mess was 
served at 7 o'clock, when lo! — the Rumor Committee had been persistently 
off the track in Porto Rico, but it nearly expired in a paroxysm of joy when 
the rumor that the river below Ponce was overflowing its banks, was almost 
immediately substantiated by the Signal Corps, which informed the captain 
that the camp would be three feet under water in half an hour. How those 
tired fellows did sail in and load the wagons, saddle and get equipment 
together ! and the last wagon which they pulled out with water nearly to 
its hubs. 

It was now pitch dark and too late to make another camp. So the 
troopers rode into Playa, tied. their horses along the refuse laden alleys — called 
streets — and dropped themselves down on the yard wide pavements, and there 
they slept in hour after hour of downpour. The next morning, bright and 
early, the captain set forth for a camp. This he found in a lumber yard, where, 
after the men had drunk their coffee, the troop went into camp. Here with a 
big iron roof overhead, lying on the lumber, the men have at last some chance 
to get dry, and, may heaven grant it, stay dry. 

A Battery man on Porto Rico. 

Charles L. Hofmann, a member of Battery A, Pennsylvania Light Artil- 
lery, which was recruited almost entirely in Philadelphia, in a letter to his 
sister, under date of August 13th, gave an interesting account of the leading 
and early experiences of the battery in Porto Rico. The letter, which was 
dated from Port Ponce, was as follows : 

" Here we are, just after having slept on the plaza around an old Spanish 
cathedral, on the hard cement pavement. This is the most curious place I 
have ever even read about, and I'll try to give you an idea of some of it. To 
begin with, we had four horses to die on our trip and wound up by being ship- 
wrecked. We sighted land at ' seven bells,' or 3.30 a.m., Wednesday, which 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



295 



proved to be the Island of Mona, no more than a big rock, about 400 feet 
high and not a mile in circumference. 

" About 4.15 we sighted the Island of Porto Rico, and steamed along the 
southern coast until we sighted Porto Ponce, dropped anchor about two miles 
out at 10 a.m., and started on again at 11.30, only to go aground on a reef 
about a mile outside of Porto Ponce. 

"Well, we were badly strained and began to settle on the reef, but fortu- 
nately for us, we could go no further down, but as our plates were strained we 
began to take in water. The sea was very heavy and the ship would roll from 
one side to the other and stop very abruptly, nearly throwing us overboard. 

Pounding on a Reef. 

"We pounded on that reef till Thursday night about 9 o'clock, when we 
were transferred to the gunboat Annapolis, and I slept on deck with an iron 
cleat for a pillow; then about 7 a.m. we were taken ashore and I first set foot 
on Porto Rico at Porto Ponce, at 7.30 a.m., Thursday, August 12th. We 
were at once corraled at this old church, and at 1 1 a.m. we were given run of 
the town. 

" At first a few of us went over and made a trip through the Governor's 
palace. The island is a regular Garden of Eden. The Governor's palace is 
one story high, as are all the houses here. It looks like a big stable on the 
outside ; but the inside is something rich and grand — everything that a king 
could desire. The courtyard is enclosed in a wall eight feet high, the top of 
which is covered with spikes, for fear some one might steal their daughters, 
for they are very beautiful. All the walls are alike here and all the daugh- 
ters are protected by their mistresses, and they are not allowed to see even 
. their lovers until the day before they are married, but strange to say, they 
are allowed to see us, and some who speak broken English are allowed to 
talk to us. 

i( I was in a house yesterday, the courtyard of which was paved with 
beautiful tiles ; it had fountains, all manner of gorgeous birds and tropical 
plants — a regular heaven. 

" The way I happened to get in this place was, I wanted a match to light 
my cigarette which everybody smokes here, even the women of the better 
class, so I sailed right into the open portal and asked for my match as well 
as I could in Spanish, which by this time we are all beginning to get on to ; 
it is very easy. 

" Business hours here are 10 to 1 1 A. m. and 2 to 4 p. m., and to live here 
all you need is about four or five dollars a week, of our money. Things are 
very cheap except bread; flour is $32 a barrel and we pay five cents for a 



296 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



loaf of rice bread not larger than an ordinary breakfast roll, but they are 

delicious. 

" The people live mostly on fruit, but for a while, all that we are allowed 
are oranges, sugar-cane and bananas. The natives can't do enough for us. 
For instance, all you have to do is to say ' pan ' or hold your canteen up and 
the boys all make a break to buy us either bread or water. 

" The milk men drive their cows up to a front door and milk them for 
just as much as you want to buy. You can buy the best cigars here for two 
cents, such as you would pay ten or twenty-five cents for at home, and their 
cigarettes are good and strong. 

a Yesterday afternoon I took a carriage, for six cents, and went up to 
Ponce city. It is of 32,000 people and one of the finest places you ever saw. 
Fakirs by the hundreds, and such a jabbering you never heard. If you want 
a carriage you have to jump into one while it is going, they can't wait for 
you. Everybody is on the hustle. The driver may ask you $i,but we never 
give him more than 12 or 13 cents and away you go like the wind and never 
think of smashing into one another. 

" I was in the Spanish (or now American) barracks at Ponce and saw a 
lot of Spanish prisoners. They are all little runts, not over five feet high and 
stood at attention and took off their hats and saluted us when we entered. 

" There is not much danger from the Spanish regulars, but the country 
is full of guerillas and bushwhackers and they make lots of trouble. Although 
the Ponce papers said yesterday that peace had been declared, no doubt it 
will be many a day before we see God's country again, for I believe we are 
to be garrisoned here somewhere. 

" There is a road from Porto Ponce to San Juan, over 80 miles long and 
it is better than the Chester pike. You should see a Spaniard run from us — 
you would think we were going to cut their heads off. Back in the country 
we can have everything we want for nothing, and if I could only carry them, 
I could get all the souvenirs I wanted. " 

A Cavalryman with Miles. 

The following letter from a young New Yorker, who enlisted in Troop 
A, Fifth United States Cavalry, at the beginning of the war, gives a graphic 
picture of the experiences of the private during the advance from Ponce into 
Porto Rico, with Major-General Miles : 

" Dear Father and Mother : Received all of your letters and papers 
last Monday and they were a perfect godsend to me. I had been wishing and 
longing for some news from home and the outer world, and the letters came 
just in time to make me feel good. We had been scouting through the coun- 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



297 



try, which is hard work, ever since we left Ponce, and I have had no time to 
think oi' anything but Spaniards and sleeping — with precious little of the lat- 
ter — and a couple of meals a day, consisting of hardtack, bacon and coffee. 
But with all our hunting and scouting we only had two brushes and the Span- 
iards didn't do a thing but run away both times. Of this I will speak later. 

" After leaving Ponce — pronounced Pon-cay — on the 8th we marched 
into a small town, of which I do not know the name, and camped for the 
night with no supper, for our cook-wagon had turned over a short dis- 
tance out of Ponce. Next morning we started out and struck Gauco about 
12 o'clock, when the last company of the Eleventh Infantry was leaving to 
meet the artillery about ten miles distant. Five o'clock that afternoon — the 
9th — we broke camp again and started to catch up with the artillery and 
dough boys — infantry — and reached their camp about 9 o'clock that night 
with a couple of hardtack and a piece of bacon to sup on. 

" Next morning, the 10th, we all expected to have some kind of a scrap, 
and we did, as you will learn later on. Our troop started out ahead of the 
column as scouts and advance guard to find out the Spanish position. About 
11 A. m. we were fired on by the Spanish outpost, which we located in a sugar 
plantation. We threw out our skirmish line — dismounted — and advanced on 
them. Well ! You should have seen them scoot. They didn't stop till they 
reached the town of Homoguerez, about three miles away. 

Dislodging the Enemy. 

"About 12.30 we were told by our scouts — native Porto Ricans — that 
the Spaniards were a short distance on the other side of Homoguerez. We 
rode into the town to reconnoitre and found nary sign of any Greaser and 
were riding leisurely out again when, right in front of a banana plantation, the 
bullets came singing over our heads like so many birds, and it must have 
looked comical to see us duck and fall off our horse and make for shelter. 
We held back 700 of those Greasers until the infantry came up on double- 
quick about an hour later. They were just in time, too, for if they had not 
made their appearance when they did we would surely have been annihilated, 
for the Spanish line was advancing, and they had been reinforced by 200 men 
against our sixty-five. 

" It did not seem possible to dislodge them from the position they had 
taken, for it was behind a large hill and just as soon as an American showed 
himself he was fired on. They — the Spanish — were finally driven back by a 
series of rushes which the infantry made with our troop on the right flank. 
But they kept on retreating from one hill to another, and, as there was no 
sense in keeping up such a hare and hounds' chase, we halted until the artillery 



298 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



came up, and then they did some of the most terrific work I ever saw in the 
way of destroying things with their shell and shrapnel. 

" One cannot imagine the damage those engines of war can do until one 
sees them in action. When a shell bursts it covers everything within a radius 
of a hundred yards with hot iron, so you can picture to yourselves the terrible 
havoc it created in the Spanish ranks. So ended our first battle of the war, 
and it was gloriously victorious for Uncle Sam. Two hundred and ninety- 
eight Spanish killed and wounded ; two killed and thirteen wounded on our 
side. Not one of our troop was hurt, which was miraculous, as we were right 
in the hottest part of the fight. 

" Of course we fought dismounted, as the country is too hilly to permit 
a mounted charge. But there was one time when we made a charge on them 
mounted, to take a hill for the artillery, and there was not one of us touched. 
I can't understand it, and the boys can't either. We learned afterward that 
the Spaniards were deathly afraid of the cavalry, and called us ' Yankee 
devils.' I know that we gave a terrible Indian yell when we charged them. 

" I suppose you want to know how a fellow feels on the firing line. It is 
a mighty queer sensation, — not fear exactly. I think it is pride more than 
anything else that makes a fellow keep a stiff upper lip, and, of course, one 
can't run away when all his comrades are fighting alongside of him. But, 
take it all in all, I would rather be at home, lounging in that large armchair 
in my room, smoking some Old Gold tobacco, — but it will never do to 
become reminiscent, for it won't do me any good. We camped on the battle- 
field that night, and started the next morning, the I ith, for the town of 
Mayaguez (pronounced My-o-way), where it was reported the Spaniards had 
thrown up intrenchments. Arrived there about ten o'clock A.M., but found no 
Spaniards, and talk about enthusiasm ! 

Acting as Scouts. 

"American flags were flying from every large building, and the natives 
collected on every corner and shouted 'Viva Americano,' etc. We had all the 
cigars, cigarettes, wines, cakes, coffee and fruit we wanted, and Captain 
McComb made a speech. We then marched a short distance out of town to 
reconnoitre and to look for a camping place. We saw some Spaniards on the 
hills in the distance, but they were so badly scared that we could not get near 
enough to give them any shots. We then pitched our tents and camped for 
two days to rest our horses. The captain then called for volunteers to go out 
on detached service. I and twenty others offered our services. 

" On the morning of the 13th we started, with Lieutenant Valentine in 
command. We were the scouts and the advance guard of the Eleventh In- 



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299 



fantry and the artillery, always keeping a couple of miles ahead of the column, 
and taking notes of the surrounding country. It is a surprise to me that our 
small band was not snuffed out, as the Spaniards could have fortified them- 
selves in hundreds of places, and with the smokeless powder that they use, it 
would have been well-nigh impossible to have located them ; but they did not 
have the courage and sense to do so. 

" We kept on advancing very cautiously for two days until we came in 
sight of this town — Las Marias — in which we were told by our scouts that 
there were 1200 Spanish, with two pieces of artillery. We camped about five 
miles from the town that night. Next morning we advanced slowly, with the 
infantry and artillery a mile in the rear, till we came just outside the town, 
and there was the most ideal place imaginable for a breastwork. It is a very 
old cemetery, just outside of the city gates, and commands the whole road for 
a couple of miles. 

" If the Spaniards had only had the pluck and sense they could have 
blown us, twenty-one men, out of existence, but, as usual, they were not in 
the place where we were looking for them. We advanced again very slowly 
till we arrived in the town, and then the Lieutenant had a pow-wow with our 
scouts and some of the notables of the town. I forgot to mention that as 
soon as we entered the city gates the bells in the one church here commenced 
to ring, and we all naturally thought that it was in welcome to the American 
soldiers, as every town we had passed through had shown its joy and enthusi- 
asm in the same manner, but we afterward found out that it was a signal to 
the Spaniards that we were in the city. 

" We passed through the town by order of Lieutenant Valentine, and 
when about half a mile on the other side of it our scouts came up helter- 
skelter, jabbering and making all sorts of faces and signs that there were 200 
Spaniards — the rear guard of their main force — waiting for us to give us a 
warm reception. Well ! We didn't do a thing but about face and galloo out 
of that confounded town to meet the infantry and artillery. 

Spaniards Ran Away. 

" We advanced again and caught those Greasers as they were fording a 
river, and played terrible havoc in their lines. At first they returned our fire 
very steadily, and we thought that we would have considerable trouble to dis- 
lodge them from the surrounding hills, but after awhile they fell back and 
retreated with a loss of 55 killed, between 150 and 200 wounded, and 50 pris- 
oners. The only damage on our side was a finger shot off. So you can im- 
agine what miserable fighters and shots the Spaniards are. Siegel was lucky 
enough to pick up a Mauser carbine from the field, and I managed to get a 



300 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



couple of wooden plates and a cup. Some of the fellows got musical instru- 
ments that their band had left behind in their flight, ammunition, underware, 
surgical instruments, paper and envelopes, etc. There was almost enough to 
equip a whole regiment. 

" Next morning we camped in Las Marias, and have been here ever since. 
I can't find out when we leave. We've heard from a reliable source — the 
Captain — that peace has been declared, so I wish that«father would make ap- 
plication for my discharge as soon as he thinks best, for I know he can get 
it a deal quicker than I can and I have no use for army life. It is too lazy, 
and anyway I want to get home to see you all again. 

" The horses did suffer on the voyage from the lack of fresh air and one 
died when we arrived at Ponce, but I had managed to get Bouncer near a 
large porthole when we loaded at Tampa, so he did not suffer so much as the 
rest did. They were all fairly crazy with delight when we landed them at 
Ponce, capering all around, and we had a tough job that night in using them 
on the picket line. 

" Could you send me some paper and envelopes, please, also some 
cigarette paper and tobacco, as the native tobacco is miserable stufT. An 
American dollar is worth $1.50 in Spanish money, but there is nothing worth 
buying, as everything is old and musty. Hope we are sent back to Maya- 
guez, where one can buy anything almost the same as in New York. This 
is a purely Spanish town. Everywhere one looks, scowls and grimaces meet 
him, but they are rapidly getting over their likes and dislikes. We are 
quartered in a small building and sleep on our blankets on the floor. It is 
dry and it is better than sleeping in a wet tent. 

" Peace has been declared, for which I am very thankful, and I know 
you are, too. Army life is all very well as long as the country is in danger, 
but now the only thing I want is my discharge, and th&t pretty quick." 

A Famous Foot Ball Volunteer. 

Samuel A. Boyle, Jr., the famous foot ball player on the University of 
Pennsylvania team, who enlisted with Battery A, at Philadelphia, and served 
with it as a sergeant in the Porto Rico campaign, gives the following ani- 
mated description of the experience of the command: 

" The part played by Battery A in the Porto Rican campaign under 
Major General Nelson A. Miles was not prolific in memorable experiences. 
The battery saw for the most part only the disagreeable side of campaigning 
— the exposure to the vagaries of the tropical climate and the hardships in- 
cidental to short rations and insufficient provisions. However, this was not 
true of all the Pennsylvania troops landed on Porto Rican soil, nor, indeed. 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



301 



to all of the battery. A small detachment of the latter was sent forward to 
convoy a provision train, soon after their arrival at Ponce. This detachment 
had the good fortune to witness a half dozen brushes with the enemy in the 
van of the advancing army, and was at the extreme front when the announce- 
ment of the signing of the protocol put an end to further hostilities. There 
were several regiments of Pennsylvania cavalry and infantry which shared 
these experiences, and these, with a small selected body of troops from the 
regular and volunteer armies, bore the brunt of the main work of the Porto 
Rican campaign. What they accomplished and had had outlined for them 
to do when the protocol put a stop to their advance is of general interest to 
their friends in this city and throughout the State. 

Off for Porto Rico. 

" When the battery left Newport News, shortly after the fall of Santiago, 
it had been preceded by several detachments of infantry and cavalry. This 
delay in starting was accentuated by an accident on arriving in Porto Rico. 
The transport in which the battery sailed ran aground some three miles from 
Port Ponce, and a three days' delay was so occasioned before the troops and 
men could be safely landed. The men were readily placed on shore, but to 
land the horses and mules from the boat in its rather precarious position was 
a matter of considerable delicacy. Of these animals there were over twelve 
hundred, but they were all safely landed, save three, by use of lighters, to 
which they were transferred by means of derricks, which lifted them over the 
side of the ship. It was five full days before the work of unloading the guns 
and supplies was completed, and during this time the van of the army, al- 
ready two days in the lead, was drawing constantly away. 

" During the days consumed in landing the supplies the men were en- 
camped with no canopy but the sky to cover them — a sky that was constantly 
pouring down its rains upon their unsheltered heads, alternating them with a 
burning sun as enervating and exhausting as the tropics furnish. For a bed 
they had the hard stones of the old Spanish Catholic Church to rest upon. 
This lasted for four days, during which time the other Pennsylvania troops 
were steadily advancing. 

" One of the first encounters which the latter had was at Guayamo. The 
Sixteenth Pennsylvania and the Fourth Ohio were ordered to attack the 
Spanish forces there. The Pennsylvanians led the way, but found themselves 
confronted by a break between the hills, beyond which the town lay. Through 
this they must pass, commanded by the enemy's guns, all of which were 
trained upon the spot. Nothing daunted, they were forced to drop on all 
fours and crawl through to avoid decimation by the artillery fire. 



302 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



" Reaching the ravine beyond successfully, however, they charged up the 
hill, and by the sheer force of their attack drove the Spaniards from their 
position, captured their guns and took possession of the town. 

" The success of the charge was due to the bravery and ferocity of the 
men, and the skill and daring of Captain Harry Hall. The latter led the 
charge from the moment they entered the little ravine until they reached the 
enemy's position, exposing himself to the hot fire fearlessly and continually, 
and urging on his men by his word and example. The result, however, 
might have been different in spite of him had not the volley firing of the 
charging troops been so deadly. On the first volley the Spanish commander 
fell dead, and with him several of his leading officers. This disconcerted the 
Spaniards, and though they desperately resisted the attack their resistance 
was ineffectual. After a fierce fight they were compelled to yield their posi- 
tion and surrender upwards of five hundred of their number to the victors. 

" This telling victory was really more important than appeared at first 
sight, and that it was due almost entirely to the Pennsylvania boys is a source 
of pride to the entire body of Pennsylvania troops. It was the only severe 
engagement which was encountered by General Miles' command, though 
repeated skirmishes occurred and kept them continually on the alert. The 
real work of the campaign, however, was before them, and, had not the pro- 
tocol interfered, would have been entered upon at once. 

Armistice Stops an Attack. 

" This was the projected attack upon Aibonito. When the announce- 
ment of the armistice was received the troops were drawn up in battle array. 
The w r ord was only wanting to send them forward to the attack. This would 
certainly have been given had the message from Washington been delayed 
ten minutes. Had it been given the decisive battle of the Porto Rican cam- 
paign would have been fought, for Aibonito enjoyed a particularly valuable 
stragetic position, the capture of which would certainly have insured the 
success of the American expedition. As at Guayamo, the Pennsylvanians 
would have borne the brunt of the struggle. 

u To understand properly the importance of Aibonito it is necessary to 
describe its position. It lies on the road from Ponce to San Juan, and must 
be passed through by an army in order to go from one city to the other. 
The cavalry and infantry might have succeeded in passing around it, but to 
take the artillery by any such circuitous route would have been out of the 
question. To pass Aibonito was, therefore, necessary in order that our forces 
could march on to San Juan, to co-operate there with the naval forces in 
taking the city. 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



303 



"Aibonito stands just behind a crest of a steep hill, quite as steep as that 
at El Caney. Upon the brink of this hill the entire Spanish forces available 
in the island had been concentrated for the purpose of combatting the Ameri- 
can advance. There were over seven thousand there, gathered from San Juan 
and other towns in the eastern end of the island. They were admirably en- 
trenched, with a strong force of artillery, and seemed to enjoy an almost 
impregnable position. 

" The only possible means of taking the position was by directing 
artillery fire against it, and so driving the Spaniards from their trenches, 
unless they could be surprised, and the end thus accomplished by strategy. 
The former plan was tried by the Americans for three days. The elevation 
of the guns necessary to throw shells up the hill, however, compelled the 
artillery to be brought close to its base. To place the guns there would 
be to sacrifice a host of lives, since the men behind the guns must necessarily 
be exposed during the entire time to the Spanish gunners, to say nothing of 
their sharpshooters. The plan of dropping shells into the trenches was tried 
from a distance, but this was unsuccessful, since the shot all fell behind the 
crest of the hill. 

The Line of Battle. 

" After trying thus for three days to direct artillery fire against the posi- 
tion without success, an attack was determined upon with the idea of sur- 
prising the enemy. A flank movement was ordered against the hill, the 
Fourth Pennsylvania being assigned to this task. They were to reach the 
rear of the position by a circuitous route, and gaining it were, on a given 
signal, to attack the enemy in the rear and, distracting the attention thus 
from the front, give the cavalry a chance to charge up without subjecting it 
to the decimating fire which the enemy could pour down upon it. Under 
cover of these two attacks the artillery could be brought forward within range 
and render valuable assistance. 

" At best it was a hazardous plan. It meant the sacrifice of many lives, 
probably a greater number than had been killed before Santiago. Still delay 
was almost as serious, and after careful deliberation it was decided to strike 
the blow. 

" It was at this time that the detachment of Battery A, in charge of the 
supply train, reached the scene. The Fourth Pennsylvania had started the 
previous night on its two days' march to encircle the town. They had ac- 
complished their purpose successfully, and had gained the position in the rear 
of the town from which they were to strike their blow. They had signaled 
their readiness, and only awaited the answering signal to send them forward. 

" Drawn up for the charge up the hill was the cavalry. Five troops were 



304 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



selected to lead the charge. On the left was the Philadelphia City Troop, 
adjoining them Troop A, of New York, next a detachment of regular cavalry, 
then the Brooklyn Troop, and the Buffalo Troop. Behind the cavalry was 
the infantry selected to support the first charge. These were the Sixteenth 
Pennsylvania, the First and Third Wisconsin, and the Second Regulars. The 
artillery waiting to take their new positions were Battery B, Pennsylvania; 
Battery A, Missouri, and six regular light batteries. 

" It will be seen at once what an important part Pennsylvania was to have 
played in the fight. Upon these troops would have fallen a large share of the 
losses. The City Troop in the van would have suffered frightfully, and one 
hundred lives would not likely be too large an estimate to place upon their 
probable losses. Fortunately, however, the carnage was avoided by the 
timely arrival of the peace message. 

" After the notification of the armistice was received the troops went into 
camp. Battery A was stopped and encamped short of Guayamo. The City 
Troop remained before Aibonito. The Battery was comfortably situated in 
the San Juan road, near the base of a hill, beside which flowed a pretty stream 
furnishing excellent water for men and beasts. The only discomfort was from 
the constant rains and from the hot sun. The thermometer ranged as high 
at times as 140 degrees in the sun. The ground was damp and marshy and 
the air heavy and murky. All were more or less affected by the combined 
influences, and fully a dozen were sent to the hospital at Ponce with malarial 
or typhoid fever. Some twenty others threatened with one or the other were 
ordered home at once, and left with the yacht May. 

"The orders to the entire command to march to Port Ponce and await 
the Mississippi were very welcome, and there was a very general rejoicing 
when the men were at last aboard the big transport awaiting the order to sail." 

Hardships on Transports. 

Here is a letter from a Battery A man, who wrote to a friend in Philadel- 
phia, concerning the hardships of the trip from Newport News to Porto Rico 
on the transport Manitoba, under date of August 8th : 

"This is our third day out, and we will probably sight land after to-mor- 
row. We are now a thousand miles off the coast of Florida, off the Province 
of Matanzas, on the eastern coast of Cuba, heading between Hayti and Porto 
Rico. We have had three of the finest days imaginable, with the sea as 
smooth as glass, and until this A. m. without a breath of air, making the heat 
almost unbearable. 

" I think I told you we started to load the transport last Tuesday, and 
continued without a break until Friday afternoon. Two mules were loaded 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



305 



on board with a swing, which lifted them fully thirty feet from the dock, and, 
during the process, we had some very funny and thrilling experiences. One 
mule dropped through the swing into the water; another fell thirty feet to the 
dock and had to be shot. Many of the men were badly kicked. Major 
Casselman came very near being kicked in the head by a mule. 

" We passed Old Point at dusk, and were hardly out to sea when the 
cargo shifted decidedly to port, giving the boat a list, which, in itself, was not 
without danger. Smoking is prohibited ; the first three days out we had many 
rumors of fires among the hay, etc. ; there was, however, no stampede. Our 
quarters are in the stern, the best place, with two decks of horses over us. 
The air is forced down by an electric fan, giving a little relief. There are two 
more tiers of stock below us, and the ammonia makes the place almost 
unbearable. 

Provisions Buried Beyond Reach. 

" We can wear scarcely any clothes, and I think the men who endure this 
trip can go through anything. The men clean out all the stalls every morn- 
ing, and water and feed the horses three times a day. We are down to hard 
fare; nearly all the provisions are buried in down in the hold by mistake; so 
we have had to be satisfied with a little coffee and hard tack, and for dinner 
salt meat. The dirt and filth is beyond your imagination; we had a little 
relief at 6 o'clock this morning, when we each had a stream of salt water 
turned upon us on the quarter deck. Several horses and three mules have 
been thrown overboard, and, in the event of the sea getting rough, we will 
lose many more. 

"You should see our 'kaki' suits now; they are black and greasy 
beyond recognition. There is one satisfaction, notwithstanding the dirt, they 
are cool. 

" Since commencing this letter, the weather has become cool, and we are 
all on the upper deck enjoying the breeze, which is a regular trade wind. 

" There are a number of Philadelphians going down on our transport, 
who represent a syndicate to buy land. 

"August 9, 1898. — Probably two hundred men are sick on board and 
also most of the horses and mules, making it all the harder for those of us 
who are in first-rate condition. 

" We will land in front of Ponce, but cannot get within a mile and a half 
of the dock ; will have to unload with lighter, which will take us several days. 
We spent all day yesterday trying to get down in the hold to our provisions, 
with only partial success. 

" Aug. 10, 1898. — We sighted the high hills on the west coast of Porto 
Rico at 3 a. m. and lay to until daylight, when we continued at a low rate of 
20 



306 



THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN. 



speed between Hayti and Porto Rico through the Mona Passage, and are now 
going along the southern coast, which is very beautiful. 

" We can see mountains very numerous in the distance, and the whole 
country seems to be wild and rugged. 

" Last night I swung my hammock on the top of the deck on the after 
bridge and had a fine sleep. It was blowing a gale and very rough. I have 
felt first-rate the whole voyage. It will probably take us several days to 
unload, from the fact that we cannot get within a mile and a half of the dock. 

" Will seal this letter now, as a boat is going back. Will write another 
later. 

Hard Aground Off Shore. 

"August II, 1898. — We are hard aground a mile from shore and three 
miles from Ponce, where we see the inner harbor crowded with transports, 
together with the Columbia, Cincinnati, Prairie and two monitors. The city 
of Ponce seems to be a large place about two miles inland, at the base of a 
high range of highlands, which run east and west the length of the island. 

" The most wretched management and blundering occurred before we 
struck the bar. The Columbia signalled us to go around a certain buoy, but 
the captain, who thought he knew it all, went by his charts and grounded in the 
exact place the Massachusetts and Cincinnati grounded on the first expedition. 

" We are within a hundred yards of a small island, upon which is a light- 
house. A large Government tug went aground last night in trying to pull us 
off. Our boat is pounding frightfully, and should a very bad storm come up 
the stores would be in a very bad condition. If we cannot get off by the 
next high tide we will unload by lighter. Shortly after we landed, Mr. Wads- 
worth came up to give us the news. Mr. Wadsworth is officially attached to 
General Miles's staff. Last night, with fifty cavalry and two companies, he 
crossed the island and took a town on the other shore. He informs us one 
gets a soaking regularly once a day from a hard rain. 

" The City Troop, with Troop C, of New York, with Sixth Regulars, are 
forty miles from here scouting. There was heavy firing yesterday behind 
Ponce and we distinctly hear the volley firing, being very aggravating to 
think we could not get in it. 

" Grant's transports are hourly expected, and we may be landed farther 
up the coast. General Miles is sixty miles from here, near San Juan, where 
there are 10,000 Spaniards. The food had better not be written about — it is 
all salt; the horses and mules in an awful condition. The weather here cool 
and very damp at night. 

" The boat is pounding so hard that it is only possible for me to write. 
Will write you as soon as we land ashore." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Victorious March of Our Soldiers to San Juan, Porto Rico. 

CORPORAL in Company B, First Regiment of Volunteer Engi- 
neers, gave the following graphic pen-picture of the march to 
San Juan: 

" My Dearest Mother : — Our first long march is over. We 
are now in sight of the Spanish lines. We left Ponce Saturday at noon, and 
marched about nine miles. It was something awful, as it was just in the heat 
of the day, and you can imagine how the sun is here. We passed through 
the town that was burnt down by the bandits. You know there are 4,000 or 
5,000 of them scattered through the mountains. They are really the only 
enemy we have to keep on the lookout for. Just as we struck this town it 
started to pour down rain, so we got under the best shelter we could find. 
After it was over we started on. 

" As most of the bridges are torn down or worn away, we had to get 
over the streams the best way we could, and that was to walk. Well, it had 
rained so hard that they were swollen twice their usual size. We had a very 
hard time to get through, the water being above our waist. Then we had to 
march right on in our heavy, wet clothes. 

" In our march we had to cross four of these rivers, and when we struck 
our first stopping place for the night we were nearly dead with fatigue. It 
was pitch dark. We did not bother to pitch tents, but just put our ponchos 
and blankets on the ground and went to sleep after we had our supper, which 
consisted of a cup of black coffee with some hardtack — all we had that day 
was in the morning, some beans and coffee, and the supper I speak of. Early 
the next morning we started again, and marched twelve miles, but in this I 
did not walk, as I was detailed to look after the wagons, we bringing up the 
rear. 

" As we went along we passed man after man that had dropped from the 
heat. We reached the next camp in the afternoon, and stayed there two 
days. When our company was first ordered out we struck tents that night 
at 12 o'clock, and marched six miles, and really it was a beautiful march, 
with the moon for our light, and when we passed under the trees out into the 
open it seemed like going into a small-sized paradise. 

" We reached the camp where we are now early in the morning, then 
rested and had a late breakfast. After that we marched on to see if we could 

307 



308 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



get a better camping ground, and, by -mistake, found ourselves right at the 
Spanish lines, and then we had the pleasure of walking all the way back. 
The camp we have now is beautiful, right in a valley surrounded by large 
mountains. F. and I tried to climb one, but we got tired. 

" To-morrow we start work in repairing bridges ; that will take us about 
two weeks ; then I hope to turn my face towards the United States. I am 
feeling first-rate, except that I feel a little weak now and then from the height 
of the atmosphere, for it was a steady uphill climb all the way. The road 
winds like a snake around and through the mountains. The road here is 
great for a bicycle. I have only seen one as yet, and it does seem odd to see 
any one riding it here. This morning I took a swim in a mountain stream 
where there was a deep hole. The water was nice and cold. I felt as if I 
could eat mule, but, sad to relate, I went to sleep and missed my dinner, and 
I am now most beautifully hungry. Bright trick, was it not ? 

" We use our little shelter tents ; only two men sleep in these, for, as I 
have told you, each man carries half of the tent. I am gradually turning into 
a regular pack mule, so I will come in handy the next time you move, if I am 
there. The officers mess with the "common soldiers,' all eating the same 
food. I hope some day to get another letter from you. I suppose the letters 
are at some post waiting to be sent on. The wagon goes into Ponce to-day, 
so this letter will go with it. With much love to all and don't worry. Your 
loving son." 

A Pennsylvania soldier wrote as follows from Porto Rico : " I have a 
chance to write the letter that I promised in my last postal. It is not the first 
time that I have had leisure — heavens knows we have enough of that — but 
because I had no place to write in, as you shall see. 

" I told you that we were packed together rather closely in the transport 
City ot Chester. Since I have met other regiments here I have come to the 
belief that we were not worse off than they ; but, at the time, it seemed a per- 
fect hell. We had on board two hundred mules, and they traveled second 
class; we had twelve hundred men, and we traveled steerage. 

Too Bad for Mules. 

" One of the officers was asked why the relations were not changed — the 
men above, the mules in the hold. 'Why,' said he, naively, 'the animals 
would die down there ! ' This may seem to you horrible, but, really, I en- 
joyed it, and grew fat on it. If we had had a little more to eat and drink, I 
should have been quite contented. As for eating, conditions improved as soon 
as half of the men became seasick. Those who suffered generally remained 
below, where the air was so foul that it took all of the strength out of them, 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



309 



and at the end of the voyage they came up as weak as infants. While they 
were sick those who were well had their rations. 

" Well, we arrived all right, and, on the whole, the regiment was in fair 
condition. We came ashore in boats, in danger of being upset in the rough 
sea that was running, and found ourselves in a collection of decayed buildings 
called Porte de Ponce. Here we found fragments of other regiments — the 
red-striped artillery, the yellow cavalry and the white infantry — all dirty. It 
was a pleasure to see our fellow-citizens ; it made us feel more thoroughly at 
home. The natives were hospitable enough, only they would cheat whenever 
the opportunity offered. 

" That evening we were marched into camp in what looked like a beau- 
tiful field. The sun was setting, and the tall cocoanut palms were swaying in 
a soft breeze. All around us the rugged hills rose gradually into the moun- 
tain chain that formed the horizon on the land side, and the air was full of 
tropical sounds. Nothing could be more inviting; nothing could have more 
quickly stifled our fear of fever, or more effectually have smothered caution. 
Nobody thought to notice that the camping ground was three feet below the 
level of the road, and that there was no lower ground in the vicinity. How- 
ever, we bivouacked there. The general orders on shipboard gave careful 
instructions about keeping off the ground — ' hammocks must be swung three 
feet above the ground.' 

" The sponsors for the order left us, however, without tents, hammocks 
or firewood, so we tried to forget general orders, rolled ourselves in our 
blankets and lay down on our ponchos. Of course it rained several times 
during the night, and that made the arrangements a little awkward. But 
before it rained the night was charming. 

A Camp "Drunk." 

" I lay on my back looking at the stars, as happy as a lark, and my 
thoughts wandered off to home and home folks, as they very often do, when 
all of a sudden there burst out from the midst of the camp the most agonized 
shrieks, ' Take it away! Take it away! For God's sake take it away! ' Then 
there was the sound of running guards and I thought that some one 
must be wrapped up with a snake — and so he was, but the snake was in his 
own head. 

" The poor fellow had been without a drop on shipboard, was alcoholic 
by inheritance, was wild for drink, had consumed a large quantity of native 
firewater, which is something terrible for our men, and had fully developed 
delirium tremens of the worst kind before midnight. Considering that it was 
5 o'clock before we landed that was pretty rapid work. He kept the whole 



310 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



camp awake for an hour or so while they were injecting morphine into him. 
Finally, by gagging him and drugging him, they succeeded in getting him 
fairly quiet. I mention this to show the way the men rush for drink. The 
result was a camp like a madhouse for a day or two. 

" I was saying that it rained that night. In the morning it poured, and 
in half an hour that beautiful camping ground worked up into a clay sv, a p 
of the worst kind. Had the rain lasted, as it will in a week or so, for days 
at a time we should have been up to our waists in water. As it was we were 
over our shoe tops. It was two days before anybody knew what it was to be 
dry. Then the swamp stunk like a pestilence, and I gave about a week for 
the whole affair to turn into a fever hospital. Of course the officers knew all 
this, and doubtless were doing their best to get us out of the hole into which 
some one had run us, and to-day we move to what is said to be a much better 
place for a camp. 

" Yesterday I obtained a pass and went with a comrade back to the town 
of Ponce. We 'struck' a native Porto Rican who had traveled in the States, 
and was full of enthusiasm for everything appertaining to them. He was a 
poor patriot, a newspaper man, who had been under the Spanish ban for some 
time. When he remarked that peace had been declared, he sighed. The 
pleasure of seeing the Spaniards thrashed was too great a treat — he couldn't 
bear to have it over. As for fighting, we shall probably see more of it. 
There is still skirmishing, but we are so far back of the line that nothing short 
of a miracle could expose us to any danger — all of our dangers are internal." 

Might Be the Last Letter. 

A letter from Dwight L. Rogers, of Northampton, Mass., who was in 
charge of the Young Men's Christian Association tent with the Sixth Massa- 
chusetts volunteers in Porto Rico, is full of interest. It was dated Guanica, 
Porto Rico, July 31st, 1898, and said: 

" Last Sunday when it was learned that General Miles would give our 
regiment the honor^of leading the invasion we got one of our boxes of paper 
out of the hold. Stationery was very scarce, 25 cents being offered for an 
envelope. When we distributed ours free and broke the corner the price 
fell. The boys each knew that it might be the last letter he would ever , write, 
and it seemed as if every man in the regiment made up his mind to improve 
the opportunity. 

" This is a great grazing country, apparently hundreds of cattle and 
horses being kept within a few miles hereabout. All the better class of na- 
tives seem to be mounted. Our commissary department has kept the army 
supplied with fresh beef, and the troops have fared very well here, compara- 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



31] 



tively speaking. The government rations are very poorly adapted to this 
climate. Bacon, hardtack, and poor coffee are the staples. 

" I have been messing with Company I (Concord), but they, with the 
other troops here, except companies D and B (Fitchburg), have moved on to 
Ponce. I did not go because all facilities for transportation, ox teams and 
pack mules, were impressed into the service of the government. The brigade 
commander in charge of transportation assures me that he will try to get my 
stuff over soon. I have not much, as only one box was unloaded here, the 
others going on to Ponce with the regimental stuff. 

" I had no shelter at all from the weather, as even the officers' tents were 
not unloaded. All were using the ' pup ' tents, so I borrowed a small wall 
tent from the Sixth Illinois regiment. I expect to be able to return it later. 
It is fortunate I had it, for Friday we had quite a little rain, and it not only 
sheltered me and my stuff, but Colonel Woodward, Chaplain Dusseualt and 
Lieutenant Colonel Chaffin put some of their things, as well as themselves, 
in there for shelter. The latter slept with me. 

" I find the officers very cordial. Major Priest, who was left in command 
here, ordered his men to bring my stuff over in their team. We changed 
our camps again, this making the third, and I think the best place, as it is on 
dry, sloping ground, a little above the level of the plain. 

" The men have been so busy fighting, doing outpost duty, changing 
camp, unloading stores, etc., that they have had no time even to sleep. Yet 
I have been able to help some of them here, I hope. One or two have de- 
cided to serve the Lord since we landed, and some others to be more faithful 
in his service. One boy came in and wanted me to see one of the Fitchburg 
Y. M. C. A. boys in the hospital. He is a great athlete and basket ball 
player, I believe— Cairns by name — and is, I understand, in bad shape with 
lung trouble. I hope to see him to-day. 

" Downey, who used to be physical director in Clinton, and some other 
place, I think, is in company B. I first met him yesterday. I hope to be 
able to have some sort of a service here to-day. The men have had no reli- 
gious service since July 3d. 

Fired On From Ambush. 

" Seven companies were fired on while marching in column of fours on a 
road running along a valley between two hills. The Spaniards were in am- 
bush with superior force, and had their markmanship been anything but of 
the most wretched character our force would have been cut to pieces. As it 
was, only two men were wounded, and they are around. One had a bullet 
graze his neck, and another a moment after pass clean through his neck just 



312 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



back of his jugular vein. He is now here in my tent feeling pretty well, 
though, of course, lame and sore. 

u The natives are very friendly. They are glad of deliverance from 
Spanish rule. As I sit in my tent here I see in front one of the soldiers 
giving a group of some twenty-five natives the " setting up " drill, much to 
the enjoyment of the boys. In the rear is a native cabin, perhaps twelve feet 
square. It is a frame structure, sides covered with rough boards, and thatched 
with palm leaves. In the rear is an open shed of poles roped with palm leaves 
also. This shed is used for cooking. 

" Instead of a stove a rough stand is made of poles. This shed is about 
four feet high, and stones are placed on it. Among these stones the fire is 
made and the food cooked. The houses all stand on posts from three to six 
feet above the ground. Most of the houses on the main street are roofed 
with corrugated iron, a few shingled, the rest tiled. Some of the houses are 
very good, and nicely painted both outside and in. Pigs, chickens and naked 
children roam through the camp unmolested and apparently at home. After 
the children are five years old or so they are all dressed. 

" The men wonderfully appreciate the stationery part of our work, and 
over and over I have heard it said : ' The best thing the association ever did. 
The thing that has done me the most good, though, has been the heartfelt 
thanks of these soldier boys for the spiritual help they have felt from our 
effort." 

A Chaplain's Impressions. 

Rev. Geo. A. Knerr was chaplain of the Fourth Pennsylvania regiment 
in Porto Rico. Upon his return, he preached at Lebanon. He said, in the 
course of his remarks : 

" The hand of God caused the destruction of the Armada, and surely the 
Almighty's power has been shown in our struggle with the haughty Spanish 
nation — a war for civilization and the uplifting of men and women. And now 
let us send men to our new possessions armed with the gospel of Christ. 
Porto Rico was characterized by all the tropical magnificence of God's won- 
derful works. How we rushed to the sides of the vessel when the mountain 
scenery burst on the view. And yet how sad we felt, for one of our number 
was dead. The rich soil, the salubrious climate, the trade winds blowing from 
the east, and the prolific growth of its products make this island wonderful. 

"We had sickness among us because we were compelled to camp in the 
lowlands and swamps. We could not move higher, for the flag of truce for- 
bade it. The inhabitants are of five classes — the original Indian of a high 
type, the negroes or slaves, the Porto Rican. small of stature, yet of a docile 
temperament; the French people and the Spaniards. The Iatter's selfish 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



313 



characteristics always assert themselves. You give them the finger } they want 
the hand. 

" It is possible to see blossoms, the embryo fruit, and the ripened fruit 
all at the same time, and the mango is the common food of the lower classes. 
Fruit grows all the year round. The people lead a quiet, innocent life, and 
are docile and affectionate, but the Porto Rican is the taxpayer, and the 
Spanish assessments are despotic. The Spanish soldiers simply take every- 
thing. The oxen are magnificent beasts, with a great spread of horns, and 
their large eyes seem to plead against the heavy weights they carry. The 
natives have them under control. 

" The horses are small, so small that when the City Troop appeared on 
the island the natives ran away in terror. In the jails instruments of Spanish 
torture were common ; there were even spikes for enclosing the form of a 
woman; speaking of religion the poor had no access to it ; only the rich. It 
was the same with marriage, the rich conducted it with great pomp ; the poor 
had none. It was the same even with burial ceremonies ; the way the poor 
were treated was disgusting. Let us evangelize these people and inaugurate 
a religion which shall be free for all, and not made especially for Spaniards." 

To Get a Square Meal. 

Ridgeway D. Hall, Company F, First Regiment, U. S. Volunteer Engi- 
neers, wrote to his Philadelphia home from Ponce, Porto Rico, as follows : 

"I am on pass from 9 o'clock A. m., to 3.30 o'clock p. m. Said pass 
having been obtained by virtue of the fact that I have just completed a tour 
of guard duty lasting twenty-four hours. When we come off guard duty we 
are entitled to a pass for six and a half hours. A pass, by the way, is written 
permission to leave camp. 

" The Plaza where I am now seated is a small park in the center of the 
town, situated much the same as Rittenhouse and Logan Squares are in Phila- 
delphia. In the middle of the square is a large round open building of 
Moorish architecture, much resembling an enormous band stand, in which 
there are tables and chairs, and where you can get excellent cold lemonade. 
The square or plaza is filled with banyan trees and palmettos. The only 
modern object within range of my vision at the present moment is a Ridge- 
way refrigerator. 

" Our chief interest at present is centered in the prospective visit of the 
paymaster. A census of the company's funds taken night before last dis- 
closed the sum total of #11.85 Spanish, $5.97*4 American, three suspender 
buttons and a plugged Canadian dime. I am about the wealthiest man in the 
company, with #3.05 Spanish. 



314 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



u I have loaned various small sums throughout the company, so expect 
to be a bloated capitalist after pay day. I do not wish to boast of my good 
health, but I can only say that so far 1 could not have wished for better, and 
yet we have the reputation of being the most neglected and worst taken care 
of regiment that has landed on the island. 

" S. received a letter from his home last night. Oh, how much these 
letters from home mean to us, and how many fond thoughts of these same 
homes, with their dear inmates, come to the soldier boy, when far away. 

" I am now going around to get a good square meal, for which I shall 
pay 75 cents Spanish money (37^2 cents American). It has just rained here. 
When it rains a cloud comes drifting along in a lazy sort of fashion, and when 
it catches you in an exposed position, it simply turns inside out and gives you 
a bath. It is a very cheap and effective system of free bathing, and it enables 
the natives to keep clean without much effort. I must have that dinner, so 
good-bye." 

The following is a copy of a letter from a non-commissioned officer in 
the U. S. Volunteer Engineer corps, a graduate of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, who was for over a year engaged in railroad work in Mexico : 

Climate and Temperature. 

" To-day we are having it decidedly hot — 98 in the shade — wind, with a 
stinging rain every few moments ; some indigoish, cyclonic-looking banks of 
clouds have just broken on the mountains, and a strong sea is running 
outside. 

"We have about 220 men out of 1 100 sick, mostly with diarrhoea and 
remittent fever, caused at this season by the condition of the water, and helped 
out by the U. S. Commissary Department. My own health has been pretty 
good, though I take quantities of quinine and muriatic acid, and eat but little, 
for I cannot go the salt pork and bacon constantly served out, and frequently 
condemned and buried before cooking. The mildest campaigning on the 
coast in August, is no child's play, and when it comes to marching w T ith heavy 
order — forty pounds strapped on, the labor is very severe. 

"The nights are slightly cooler now, and after twenty days lying on the 
ground at night, we are getting in board floors to the tents, which keep us off 
the earth. Fortunately we get in food from outside, such as milk, bread and 
eggs, at high prices, through native children. 

" The administration of the island will remain for the time under the local 
Porto Rican Jefes (chiefs) and Alcaldes, supervised by military chiefs from our 
army. We are now a part of the American Provisional Army," and addressed 
in orders as such. 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



315 



" For the present the Spanish import and export duties remain in force, 
and the ' boom ' will not come until they are rerated. In the interior the cli- 
mate is good, and land extraordinarily fertile. J. J. Astor is said to be buying 
up the best plantations and getting many concessions, but on the coast at this 
season the climate is a hell from seven to six p.m. You should see the artil- 
lery going through the mountains, men, horses and guns plastered with a sand 
that dries as hard as concrete, while the sun beats down at 140 . Some of 
the infantry have had only hard tack and coffee for three weeks." 

Garretson's Official Report. 

Brigadier-General G. A. Garretson made the following official report of 
the action on Yauco road, Porto Rico, July 26th : 

"The brigade landed at Guanica on July 25th, at about 11 A. Mo to 12 m. 
During the afternoon of that day I made a reconnoissance with two of my 
staff officers and Major W. C. Hayes, of the First Ohio Cavalry, of the roads 
and trails leading out of the valley in which the camp was situated. This 
valley runs nearly north and south, and is about a mile wide. There are 
mountains on either side about 400 feet high. About three miles from the 
camp is a low range of hills, varying from 50 to 100 feet high, running at 
right angles with the valley. Narrow valleys debouche to the north, east and 
west. Along the latter runs the road to Sabana Grande and S. German. 
Along the northeastern valley runs the road to Yauco. 

"As the enemy were reported at these places by the inhabitants of the 
valley, the roads were carefully reconnoitred and the body of the enemy was 
discovered at the Hacienda Santa Decidera of Antonio Mariana, at about 
4 p.m. This hacienda is situated nearly in the centre of an oval plane, about 
one mile by one and a half miles in diameter, surrounded for the most part 
by low hills, and separated by the hill from the Valley of Guanica. 

" The distance between the two plains mentioned, measured through the 
base of the mountain, is about 1,400 yards. The Yauco river runs through 
the plain of Hacienda, the Valley of Guanica, and through the narrow valley 
connecting them. This narrow valley, constituting a defile, was the scene of 
the early action. A banana field lies on the east side of the road and the hill, 
covered with chaparral, to the west. 

" The small hill on which the house of Ventura Quinones is situated, 
afforded a view of the Hacienda. Here and along the road outposts consist- 
ing of one company of the Sixth Illinois were posted. 

" At about 6 p.m. a report was sent in from this outpost that the enemy 
in considerable numbers had been observed. I sent out two companies of the 
Sixth Massachusetts as a reserve. 



316 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



" During the night the enemy opened fire on the outposts, and their 
commander sent in a report, which arrived at camp at 2 a.m., July 25th, that 
an attack on the outposts was expected. At 3 a.m., I, with my staff, and 
Major W. C. Hayes, First Ohio Cavalry, and five companies of the Sixth 
Massachusetts, left camp for the outposts on the Yauco road. The command 
arrived there shortly before daylight, at about 4 30 o'clock. From the reports 
of the outposts, the enemy were supposed to be in the field to the right of the 
road to Yauco. Packs were thrown off, and the command formed for attack. 
The company of the Sixth Illinois remained on the hill on which the house 
of Ventura Quinones is situated, and protected our right flank. 

" The remaining companies were collected, two as support and three as 
reserve. After advancing to within 200 yards of the plain of the Hacienda 
Santa Decidera, the advance guard of our attacking force was discovered by 
the enemy, who opened fire from a position on the hill to the west. The 
north and east slopes of this hill intersect each other, forming a solid angle. 
It was along this angle that the enemy was posted. The reserve, posted in 
a road leading from the Hacienda to the east, also opened a strong fire on 
the road. 

" A body of the enemy moved against the company on our right, Com- 
pany G, Sixth Illinois, stationed on the hill of Ventura Quinones. This 
company had entrenched themselves during the night, and after repulsing the 
attacking force, directed their fire against the enemy on the hill to the west. 

Enemy Driven from the Hill. 

" This conformation of the ground was such that the fire of the enemy's 
reserve and party on the left was effective in the seemingly secure hollow in 
which our reserves were posted, The heavy volume of fire, the noise of shots 
striking the trees and on the ground and the wounding of two men among 
the reserves caused a momentary confusion among the troops. They were 
quickly rallied and placed under cover. The fire of the advance party and 
supports was directed against the party of the enemy on the hill, and tem- 
porarily silenced the fire from that direction. 

" Our advance guard of two companies, ignoring the enemy on the hill, 
then deployed mainly to the right of the road, and with quick and accurate 
military judgment and brave personal gallantry by Lieutenant Langhorne, 
First Cavalry A, against the reserves of the enemy. The supporters of one 
company of the reserves, under the direction of Captain L. G. Berry, charged 
against the party on the west of the hill, through the barbed wire fence and 
chaparral. The reserves were deployed along the barbed wire fence running 
at right angles to the road, conducted through the fence, and brought up in 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



317 



the rear and to the left of the attacking party, conducted by Lieutenant B. 
Ames, of the Sixth Massachusetts. 

" The enemy were driven from the hill and retired to the valley, disap- 
pearing behind the Hacienda. The reserves of the enemy ceased firing and 
retired. It is supposed that they had retired to the Hacienda, as this house 
was surrounded on the sides presented to our view with loophole walls. The 
troops on the hill were collected along the road. A reserve of three com- 
panies was established at the intersection of the road to Yauco. The two 
companies in advance which were deployed wheeled to the left and advanced 
through the cornfield on our right. The remainder of the command deployed 
and advanced to the Hacienda, enveloping in on the left. It was then dis- 
covered that the enemy had retired from the Hacienda in the direction of 
Yauco, along cleverly concealed lines of retreat. 

" As the object of the expedition was considered accomplished, and in 
obedience to instructions received from Major-General Miles, no further pur- 
suit was undertaken. The battalion of recruits of the regular army under 
Captain Hubert reported for orders, having heard the firing, but were not 
needed, and were returned to camp. 

" The force of the enemy engaged in the battle consisted of Battalion 
Twenty-five, Patria of the Spanish army, and some volunteers, in all about 
600 or 700 men. 

" The casualties on our side were four slightly wounded. After the occu- 
pation of Yauco the casualties of the enemy were found to have been one 
Lieutenant, one cornetist killed, eighteen seriously and thirty-two slightly 
wounded. 

A Staff Officer's Story. 

The following letter from an officer on General Brooke's staff describes 
the march of the latter across the island of Porto Rico to join his colleagues 
on the evacuation commission : 

" We left Guayama September 3d, and rode to Cayey, some seventeen 
miles across the mountains. We traveled over the military road connecting 
the two places. It is a splendidly built and well-kept highway, showing ex- 
cellent engineering both in location and construction. Time and money have 
been lavished on it, and everything has a most finished look. It is a macad- 
amized road bed, about twenty-five feet in width, thoroughly drained and 
graded. It winds and turns through the mountains behind Guayama in a 
most picturesque way, gradually approaching the summit, which it reaches 
some six miles by the road from the centre of the town. 

" From that point a beautiful view of the valley of Guayama and the ocean 
is obtained, and, what was most gratifying to us, cool and refreshing breezes. 



318 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



We consume^ about two hours in reaching that point, our norses walking. 
The Spaniards had blown up the small brick arches across two small streams 
over which the road passed. These had been temporarily repaired the day 
before by our engineers, after permission had been secured from the Spanish 
authorities. The damage was outside of our lines. Entrenchments along the 
crest adjoining these obstructions had been thrown up, and they covered this 
part of the road very thoroughly. 

" In forcing their way along this part of the road our men would have 
been subjected to a front, flank and rear fire. The Spanish positions were 
well chosen. They were almost inaccessible from the road, and it would have 
required hours of the hardest kind of climbing to have outflanked them. 
Remember, the road is cut out of the side of the mountain, with precipitous 
banks along and below. There was no place for artillery to move except 
along the road, with here and there small flat spaces, where a gun or two 
might have been planted. 

"When General Brooke started to move against Cayey, on August 13th, 
there were about 600 Spanish infantry and cavalry, with two mountain guns, 
in these entrenchments. Our men would have had a hard job forcing them 
back to Cayey, would have lost heavily in doing it and would have occupied 
more than one day in the work. There are numerous bridges and culverts 
along the road, which would no doubt have been destroyed as the enemy re- 
treated. Men on foot could have succeeded in passing these obstructions, 
but vehicles could not. We found also an earthen barricade in the road 
beyond the damaged bridges. 

Impression of Spanish Soldiers. 

" Beyond the top of the mountain we came upon the Spanish outpost, 
where we found three companies of regular infantry, and were received with 
due honors and courtesy. Refreshments were offered and accepted, after par- 
taking of which we proceeded on our way. The Spanish soldiers impressed 
me much more favorably than I expected. 

" They look small beside our men, but they are generally well set up, 
bright and alert, and look ready for business. They wear a uniform — blouse 
and trousers — of a bright homespun material, without any facings, but with 
brass buttons and collar ornaments. For the head they wear a white straw 
hat, wide brim and a cockade on the left side. They are armed with the 
Mauser and short knife-bayonet 

" The cartridges are carried in a clip in bunches of five, and these are car- 
ried in small leather pouches attached to the belt, several in a pouch. The 
leather trimmings are all of fair or tan leather, and far superior in appearance 



THE MARCH TO SAN JUAN. 



319 



to our black leather trimmings. For the feet the men wear sandals with rope 
soles. Many, however, had on black leather shoes, and some of them wore 
moccasins. Each man had a blanket slung over the left shoulder, and carried 
a fair-leather bag or haversack. I saw no tents and no wagon train. 

"They evidently do not depend on mules and wagons to help them con- 
duct a campaign. I saw a company marching along the street, and noticed 
that they move with a quick, springy step, that enables them to cover ground 
quickly. The Guarda Civile appears to be a selected body of men ; and I 
understand they are all men who have served their time with the colors, and 
have been selected on account of good conduct and faithful service. 

"The regulars appear to be very young men, from 1 8 to 21, but the 
Guarda Civile are mature men, and make a very good appearance. Their 
uniform is similar to that of the regular troops, but of a blue-gray color. 
They carry the Remington rifle, with the old-fashioned bayonet, and use 
brass-coated bullets in the cartridges. We found them strung along the road, 
both foot and mounted. 

Hospitably Received by the People . 

" At Cayey we were hospitably received by the residents and were pro- 
vided with quarters in the town. There was a company or two of infantry 
there, but the officers kept in the background. Cayey is the principal point 
for the manufacture of cigars. Sunday morning, September 4th, we took the 
main military road between Ponce and San Juan, and went as far as Coguas, 
where we were again most hospitably received by the residents. 

"At Coguas we found some 1200 infantry stationed, besides a company 
of the Guarda Civile and a troop of the same body. Coguas is an attractive 
little town of several thousand inhabitants. On Monday we continued our 
march, and arrived at Rio Piedras about 12 30. We were met outside of the 
town by an aide of the Captain General, with a small cavalry escort. General 
Brooke and his personal staff were conducted to the summer residence of the 
Captain General, which is located at Rio Piedras. 

" The remainder of the staff and escort provided themselves with quarters 
as best they could. On Tuesday afternoon we accompanied General Brooke 
to San Juan to call on General Macias. We went on the steam tramway 
which runs between Rio Piedras and San Juan. At the Hotel Inglaterra we 
picked up Admiral Schley and General Gordon, and their respective staffs. 
Our call was entirely formal, and lasted only a few minutes. Most of the 
party returned to Rio Piedras the same afternoon, but some of us remained to 
attend to a few business matters, and to see the town. At the hotel we had 
the best dinner we have known since leaving Newport News." 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Story of the Gallant Fight of Our Army and Navy at Manila. 

HE fate of Manila lay in Admiral Dewey's hands from that May 
day, when the destruction of Admiral Montojo's fleet had so 
brilliantly inaugurated our war with Spain. He waited, however, 
for reinforcements, in command of Major General Wesley Mer 
ritt. It would have been easy for him to reduce Manila to ashes, and shell 
its defenseless citizens; much easier still would it have been subsequently 
for the insurgents to indulge in barbarous retaliations on their helpless ene- 
mies and give way to excesses which, with the limited force at his disposal, 
he would have been utterly unable to quell, and for which, none the less, he 
would have been held responsible by the European powers whose local in- 
terests were at stake. 

The first expedition under Brigadier-General Greene, reached the 
Philippines on June 30th, after taking possession, on its way, of the Ladrones, 
a group of some 20 islands with an estimated population of 10,000, lying 1200 
miles east of the Philippines. A second instalment arrived on July 17th, and 
a third under General McArthur on the 31st, General Greene having mean- 
while taken up a position within rifle range of Malate, a suburb of Manila, 
and called it " Camp Dewey," a name to conjure with. 

The arrival of the third expedition filled the Spaniards with rage, and 
they determined to give battle before Camp Dewey could be reinforced. The 
trench extended from the beach, three hundred yards to the left flank of the 
insurgents. 

Sunday being the insurgents' feast day and their left flank having been 
withdrawn the American right flank was left exposed. Here was an oppor- 
tunity not to be despised. Companies A and E, of the Tenth Pennsylvania^ 
and Utah Battery were ordered to reinforce the right flank. 

In the midst of a raging typhoon, with a tremendous downpour of rain, 
the enemy's force, estimated at 3000 men, attempted to surprise the camp. 
Our pickets were driven in and the trenches assaulted. 

The fight in the trenches south of Malate, on the night of Sunday, July 
31st, which cost the Pennsylvania troops so dearly, began by the usual eve- 
ning firing by the Spaniards, and continued against the Americans just as it 
had been kept up against the insurgents, when only Filipinos occupied the 
trenches. The Americans, regardless of personal danger, replied, as they 
320 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



321 



always did, standing up and exposing themselves fearlessly so as to make 
their fire more effective. The Spaniards shot more accurately than usual, 
and the Americans suffered largely from the sharpshooters. 

The most dangerous place was the open ground just behind the trenches, 
which our reinforcements crossed fearlessly, and it was there, where much 
of our loss occurred. The enemy suffered severely, although the Spaniards 
themselves did not know how many they lost. One man said he saw five 
carloads of dead soldiers hauled into Ermita. 

The battle was precipitated apparently by the eager desire of the Penn- 
sylvanians to get into action. When the men kept in the trenches the Spanish 
fire was harmless and merited no reply. The First Colorado men, who began 
the trench and the First Nebraska troops, who finished it, worked steadily at 
throwing up the parapet during the day and night, and suffered no loss. 
There was desultory firing at them, but it was wild, and they made no re- 
sponse. They paid no attention to the enemy and went on with their work. 

" The day after the fight,'' an officer who took part in the battle, writes 
a few days after the engagement, " I went over to Camp Dewey from Cavite, 
and spent that night in the trench with the First Colorado, Utah Batteries, 
and Third Battalion, First California. The Spaniards keep up a terrible fire 
nearly all night. For a few minutes after it began the Utah boys kept up a 
lively fire with their 3 -inch guns, and the Colorado boys showed the Span- 
iards a trick in volley firing. Then our fire ceased, and thereafter from the 
main trench not a shot was fired all night. 

" Not a man was hurt after our firing stopped. They sat behind their 
parapet and let the Spaniards blaze away. Bullets and shells flew over our 
heads in whistling chorus until daylight, and then there was a tremendous 
outburst. Colonel Hale, however, kept his men down, and after a while the 
Spaniards got tired and ceased firing. 

Our First Advance. 

" It was on the morning of Friday, July 29th, that our men first went 
forward to the trenches. From the time, about the middle of July, when the 
first battalion of California men located the camp at Tambo, which General 
Anderson afterward named Camp Dewey, outposts had been stationed regu- 
larly somewhere near the insurgent line. When the Colorado men were sent 
to camp with the other battalions of the First California they sent outposts 
out also and got into the trouble of which you have been told. Finally, when 
the camp grew to its present size and there was prospect that it would grow 
still larger, it became undesirable to have the insurgents in our front. There 
was no telling when the Spaniards might make a rush and drive them back, 
21 



322 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



as they were reported to have done that night the Colorado men turned out 
the whole camp. 

" So General Greene sent to Aguinaldo, in General Merritt's name, and 
asked to have the insurgents restrained from stirring up the Spaniards every 
night. The high firing sometimes dropped shells and bullets among our out- 
posts, and it wasn't a good thing anyway to have another force between us 
and our enemy. So the insurgents were withdrawn from their outposts all 
along our front, clear over to Pasai, as the maps have it, or Pineda, as the 
people call it, and on Friday our troops were sent forward to take their place. 

" It was the lot of the Colorado men first to take position directly in front 
of the enemy. Two battalions went forward under Lieutenant-Colonel McAvoy 
and the third battalion was held in reserve. Colonel McAvoy saw at once 
that the old insurgent trench was untenable. It was in a bad place, easily 
flanked, and there was good cover in front of it. Beyond the right end there 
was thickly wooded country, through which the enemy could make an 
advance with good chance of escaping observation. Colonel McAvoy decided 
to advance the line to the old Capuchin Chapel, which stood in the middle of 
the field in front of the old insurgent trench. He looked over the ground 
with his engineers and then laid out the line of the intrenchment. 

Digging Under Fire. 

" It was I o'clock in the afternoon when the men went to work on the 
ditch. It had been raining pretty steadily for a week, and there were heavy 
squalls at frequent intervals that afternoon, but most of the time the Spaniards 
had an entirely unobstructed view of the Americans and what they were doing. 
They took note of it occasionally in a disinterested sort of way by sending a 
Mauser bullet down now and then to investigate. The messengers were 
almost all very high and no damage was done to our men, who kept at work, 
undisturbed by the desultory shooting. The Colorado boys had the making 
of a good breastwork done when they were relieved in the morning by the 
First Nebraska regiment. 

" The ditch, trench, outwork, or whatever you might call it, was simply a 
lot of dirt piled up in a line that ran at right angles to the beach and the main 
road to Manila — Camina Real— and extended across the 250 yards, more or 
less, between them. It crossed fairly open country, on ground that is reason- 
ably called high for that locality. It is level and perhaps six feet above the 
sea, highest just at the beach line. A line of bamboos fringe the east side of 
the Camina Real and a similar line runs all along the edge of the beach. 

" The Nebraska boys kept up their work on the breastwork all day Satur- 
day, and the Spaniards paid them no more attention than they had paid to the 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



323 



Colorado boys the day before. The Nebraska men worked on both sides of the 
parapet, making two ditches, the dirt from both of which they heaped on the 
long pile that gradually rose to a height of nearly seven feet all along the line. 
Behind the parapet the ditch was made wide but shallow, so that water would 
not stand in it. Vain hope ! Water will stand in a boot track anywhere on 
that field after such rains as we are having now. 

The Old Capuchin Chapel. 

"About seventy»yards west of the road stands the ruin of an old Capuchin 
chapeL It was in good condition when this rebellion began, but many bullets 
and shells have wrecked it almost completely. In the centre of it north and 
south a wide hall runs through from east to west. On the east the trench 
began just north of the big double door that opened into this hall and ran 
straight to the road. On the west, on the sea side, the trench joined the 
chapel at the north corner. Earth was piled against the north end of the 
chapel to the height of six or seven feet, up to the level of the two iron- 
barred windows, 

"'At the beach the parapet jumps forward about five yards and then 
swings across the eight or ten yards of beach to the wreck of an old caisson, 
such as the Spaniards used in Cavite to fill with rocks and put in front of their 
ships as improvised armor. At the base of the inside of the parapet there is 
a solid shoulder projecting out about two feet all along the line for the men 
to stand on when they rise up to fire over the earthwork. Along the top of 
the parapet there are notches and peepholes for the lookouts. 

" On Saturday, July 30th, the work was far enough advanced to place 
some artillery in position, and light batteries A and B of the Utah Battalion 
sent forward two guns, each with eight men to a gun, under command of their 
lieutenants. The guns of Battery A were placed on the right of the chapel, 
about equidistant from it and the road. Battery B's guns were placed at the 
left of the chapel, a little to the east of the line of bamboos that fringes 
the beach. 

" The Spaniards kept whacking away at our boys occasionally on Sat- 
urday, but did no damage whatever at the trench. Further down the road, 
however, at the barricade where the footpath crosses the road north of the 
Pasai road, they drew the first American blood that was let in the conquest 
of the Philippine Islands. Private W. H. Sterling of Company K, First Col- 
orado, was the man hit. His regiment had been relieved by the Nebraska 
boys at 10 o'clock and was returning to camp. As he was marching along a 
bullet that had been fired high came down the road and took him in the muscle 
in the upper part of the left arm. It stung and it bled, but it didn't hurt very 



324 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



much and did no serious damage. Sterling will soon be about his work again 
as if he never had been hit by a Spanish bullet. 

" Saturday afternoon the report came over to Cavite that the Astor bat- 
tery had been moved up into the trenches, but it was a mistake. The Astor 
battery had no ammunition. When the Astors were landed from the Newport 
there was a nasty surf running and their cascos could not get in to the beach. 
They waded ashore and dragged their guns through the surf. Their ammu- 
nition was soaked. It had been bought as waterproof, but Captain March 
took no chances and examined one of the big brass shells. He found that the 
water had got into it and turned the powder to mush. So he had the whole 
lot examined and found nearly all spoiled. The bad powder was taken out 
and thrown away and the Astors are now reloading their shells with powder 
given them by Admiral Dewey. 

Spanish Fire Gets Lively. 

" On Saturday night the Spaniards put a little more spirit into their 
work, and peppered away in lively fashion. The breastwork was nearly fin- 
ished, and the Nebraska boys took no chances by trying to go on with their 
work at it. Colonel Breitt had them all inside the parapet. They kept as 
sharp a lookout as was possible in the nasty night, and for the rest sat tight, 
making no reply to the Spanish fire. The result was that no one was hurt. 
They had thrown pickets out to their right, across the road beyond the line 
of intrenchment. There was no effort to flank them, and the pickets had no 
work to do. The Utah artillerymen tore up part of the floor of the old chapel 
and built platforms for their guns to keep them out of the mud and water as 
much as possible, and to make a comparatively easy place for landing them. 

" The embrasures were strengthened and closed up as much as possible, 
and when that was done the rest of the lumber was turned into shacks beside 
the guns, into which the young artillerymen from Utah crawled and went to 
sleep, sheltered from the rain, and as little concerned about the Spanish bullets 
as they were about the water, which fell in torrents from the unfriendly skies 
upon the Nebraska infantrymen. 

"On Sunday morning, July 31st, the Tenth Pennsylvania relieved the 
First Nebraska in the trench, and a new detachment of Utah men went up to 
man the four guns of their batteries. The men worked along that day com- 
pleting the parapet and strengthening it, and were undisturbed by the Span- 
iards, who were hardly wide enough awake to keep up the desultory fire with 
which they had tried to annoy the Colorado and Nebraska men on the two 
previous days. 

"The Spanish trench is about 750 yards from that occupied by the 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



325 



Americans. It begins at the beach south of the Polvorm, outside the old 
fort at Malate, and runs northeast until it clears the fort, then it turns to the 
east and runs in a straight line well out beyond the Camina Real. It is a 
solid-looking fortification, with plenty of rocks in the parapet, and topped 
with sandbags. In front of it, to the south, a small creek wriggles about over 
the low, swampy field. A road which leads from the fort to the Camina 
Real crosses this creek by a stone bridge, which has been piled high with 
sandbags. 

"About 150 yards in front of our trench a little strip of tall grass runs 
across the open field from the beach to the road. Further north about 150 
yards runs the trench the Spanish occupied at first, but from which they 
retreated a couple of weeks ago when the insurgents got their battery of old 
smoothbores at work down the road a little way. The country between the 
two trenches is low and level. About the Camina Real the field, which is 
fairly open nearer the beach, is full of bunches of scrub, here and there a 
banana growing wild, a clump of acacias or a bunch of bamboos. It's just 
the kind of country for men who are game enough to sneak up on their 
enemy and try to pot him when he doesn't suspect any danger. 

" East of the Camina Real, behind our position, the country is low and 
swampy, with a few paddy fields, and much bamboo and banana scrub. In 
front and to the right of our position the field is fairly open, but there is con- 
siderable scrub. There the ground is higher. Ultimately our work will 
extend across this field. Just now the trench is little more than begun. 

Spanish Try to Turn Our Flank. 

" Of just what happened on Sunday night there always will be many 
stories. There are a great many going about now, some of them decidedly 
contradictory, and more of them are fulminating. The one which has per- 
haps more supporters than any other, and enjoys besides the merit, or at least 
the fact, of having been accepted by General Greene and published in General 
Orders, is that the Spaniards attempted to flank our line. That may be true. 
It has one fact in its support and there are two against it. 

"The one fact in confirmation is that in the fight which occurred our 
men going up as reinforcements were subjected to a cross fire. There is no 
doubt that some Spaniards had left their trench and crawled out into the scrub 
in front and to the right of our right line, then resting in the Camina Real at 
the end of the trench. The pickets of the Tenth Pennsylvania were driven 
in. They had been posted for the most part directly in front of their regiment, 
but some of them were east of the road and ahead of the line. 

" The two facts against this theory are, first, that the fire of the Spaniards 



326 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



was very heavy and that most of it was by volley, which it could not have 
been from men scattered about in the scrub brush and grass ; second, that the 
outposts of the second platooon of Battery K, Third United States Artillery, 
were not driven in and did not come in until they were relieved at their station 
on Monday morning. This platoon of K Battery was stationed on the Pasai 
road in reserve. Lieutenant Kessler sent forward four or five Cossack posts 
— four men and a non-commissioned officer. These outposts were stationed 
to the right and ahead of our line, but through all the heavy firing of the night 
they made no report. No Spaniards came their way, a very singular fact if 
there was an effort to turn our right flank. 

Enemy Opens the Attack. 

" It seems much the most probable of all the stories that this is what 
happened : The Spaniards, having recovered from their lethargy of a few 
days, concluded to stir things up. They had not been stirred up themselves 
for several days. The insurgents had not been there to harass them, and our 
men had orders not to begin an engagement. The Spaniards must have 
known that the insurgents had been withdrawn from the trenches and that the 
Americans were in. There is no more resemblance between our trench and 
the insurgents' affair than there is between a clipper ship and a coal barge. 

" Accordingly, about 10 o'clock on Sunday night, the Spanish fire took 
on a regularity which showed that there was definite intention and purpose 
somewhere in the camp. The bullets began to whistle about our fellows in 
droves. The guns at Malate opened up also, and their roar, the shriek of their 
shells, and the loud cracking report of bursting shells added to the other 
general evidence to the Pennsylvanians that they were under fire. The 
Spanish fire, heavy as it was, was harmless as long as they kept down behind 
the earthwork. But the Pennsylvanians could not resist the temptation to 
return the fire, and straightway the trouble arose. 

" It was a terrible night. Rain fell incessantly and in torrents. A fierce 
wind drove it across the fields and into the trench, under the little shelter the 
men had thrown up. A quarter moon struggled to force a little light through 
the heavy clouds, and succeeded only in making a ghostly glow through 
which all objects showed black and awful. The long bamboos were tossed 
about by the wind that roared through giant acacias and mangoes with the 
rush and noise of a Niagara. 

" The little clumps of bamboo and acacia, that dotted the field in front of 
our line, bobbed about in the gale, and were beaten down by the rain in such 
fashion that they made the best kind of cover for venturesome devils— if there 
are any such among the Spanish — in crawling out to attack our line. The 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



327 



ditch behind our parapet filled up with thin mud. Little streams of mud ran 
down the embankment into this little lake. The platforms built by the Utah 
boys for their guns were four inches under mud, and still the rain drove down 
in blinding sheets. 

" Soon after the Spaniards began their regular and heavy fire the Penn- 
sylvania pickets began to come in. They had been posted in Cossack out- 
posts almost directly in front of our line, about seventy-five yards distant. 
Some of the posts extended over to the right of our line, and should have 
been in touch with the posts set by Lieutenant Kessler from Battery K. They 
were not in touch with the regulars, however, because they returned to the 
trench and reported that they were driven in, whereas the regulars never were 
heard from, and were relieved next morning at their stations. There had been 
heavy firing on their left nearly all night, they reported, and they had taken 
some part in replying to it, but no enemy had appeared before them and they 
had suffered no loss. 

Danger on the Right. 

" When the Pennsylvania pickets came tumbling back into their trench, 
they reported that the enemy was in force on our right front and was trying 
to flank us. That was serious business. Major Cuthbertson brought K 
and B companies up the Camina Real into the trench at once and sent word 
to Major Bierer to come forward with D and E companies and go in on our 
right across the road. While this was going on, the firing of the Spanish 
was maintained at a terrific rate. The crack of their Mauser rifles, short, 
sharp, spiteful, was like the long roll beaten on a giant bass drum. It was 
punctuated continually with the bursting of the shells they were throwing 
from the fort at Malate. 

" The American reply was as vigorous. At the start the Pennsylvania 
men fired by volley and did it well. The roar of their old Springfields all 
loosed off together was like the report of a io-inch rifle. It was almost im- 
possible to tell here in Cavite whether it was volley firing or cannonading. 
At times it sounded as if the Raleigh, which had taken the Boston's place off 
Camp Dewey, had moved up opposite Malate and opened on the Spaniards 
with her 8-inch rifles. The artilleiy men from Utah were as cool as if they 
were bathing in their favorite salt lake. They got their four guns into action 
in a hurry, and kept them there with a regularity that was undisturbed by 
the terrific assault made on them by the Spaniards. Small as they had made 
the embrasures for their guns, they were yet large enough for a hailstorm of 
Mauser bullets to sweep through. 

" How more of the men were not hit can never be explained. The steel- 



328 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



cased bullets kept up a constant ringing on the metal of the cannon, but only 
one struck a gunner, and he got off with a flesh wound in the arm. Lieu- 
tenant Gibbs, of Battery A, standing with his right hand resting on the wheel 
of one of his guns, got an illustration of how close one may come to being 
hit. A bullet struck the tire of the wheel just inside his thumb and passed 
under his hand, leaving a little burned strip across his thumb where it passed. 

A Storm of Steel. 

" By this time it was a business fight. The Spanish were using their 
magazines and firing by squads. A great deal of the fire was high, some of 
it very high, but never before had any of our boys seen the Spanish anywhere 
near so accurate, and some of the Americans had been under their fire in the 
insurgent trenches many times. 

" The bullets were flying over their heads in swarms. They whizzed, 
they whistled, they sang as a telegraph wire does in a wind. They zipped, 
they buzzed, they droned like a bagpipe far away, like a June bug seeking a 
light on a hot night, like a blue bottle buzzing against a window pane. They 
beat against the outside of our embankment with a sound like hailstones 
striking soft mud, like the faint hoofbeat of the horses going up the back- 
stretch in the Suburban as it comes to you on the patrol judge's stand at the 
middle distance. They rattled against the old Capuchin chapel and ripped 
through its iron roof with a noise such as children make with a stick on a 
picket fence running along and drawing the stick across the pickets, or like a 
man drumming on a window blind. 

" Did you ever hear the cook beating up eggs on a platter with a big 
spoon ? If that noise were magnified a thousand times it would give a sug- 
gestion of the tattoo the bullets beat on that old chapel. And all this time 
there were the shells. Men who were in the civil war say the shells came 
through the air saying ' Where is you?' ' Where is you ?' all run together. 
They sound like the ripping of silk, and they give you the same feeling down 
the back that it does to pull a string through your teeth. 

" The shells smashed through the poor old chapel and burst inside. They 
burst as they struck its heavy brick walls; they burst short; they struck our 
embankment and burst ; they burst over the heads of our men ; they flew 
high and went down the fields, bursting sometimes among our men hurrying 
up to reinforce the Pennsylvanians ; they burst along the Camino Real ; they 
were almost as thick as bullets, and yet strange as it reems, there is record 
of only one man who was hurt by a shell, and he was not at all seriously 
wounded. He was Second Lieutenant A. J. Buttermore, D Company, Tenth 
Pennsylvania. A shell burst just in front of and over him. A piece of it hit 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



329 



him over the left eye and knocked him down. It made an ugly cut, but that 
was all. He got up and went on about his work, too busy to stop and hunt 
in the dark for the piece that hit him. 

" All this time — it seemed long, but it wasn't — our fellows were pumping 
away at a great rate, and the roar of our volleys was warning the officers and 
men in Camp Dewey that there was hot work at the front. The Spanish were 
giving us a practical lesson of the value of smokeless powder. Every time 
our guns cracked a line of flame ran along the top of our embankment. Every 
sheet of flame drew a fresh hail of Mauser bullets. Every time a Utah gun 
cracked a Spanish cannon was aimed at the flash. There our boys had as 
good a mark as the enemy, and they did their best. It was only guessing at 
the range by the time between flash of gun and burst of shell, and there wasn't 
a stop watch on the line to give greater accuracy. 

" But they did good work, and they fired as coolly as if they were at 
target practice. Their work was invaluable. Not only were they perfectly 
calm and in command of themselves, but they helped to steady their friends 
from Pennsylvania, who were beginning to get excited. Reports began to go 
along the line that the enemy were getting around the right flank. The in- 
fantrymen thought they could detect a change in the direction of the bullets 
that were whistling over their heads. More of them seemed to be coming 
from the east, down our line, instead of from the north, across it. 

First American Killed. 

" While this was going on Major Bierer was taking D and E Companies 
into action on our right. To do this he had to cross the open field in rear of 
our trench. It was a perfect hell he had to go through, a hundred yards of 
open ground, without sign of protection, swept by a storm of Mauser bullets 
that came from left, from front and from right, with shells from the Spanish 
guns bursting among and around them all the time. 

" Then the first American soldier in the Philippines fell before Spanish 
bullets. He was Corporal W. E. Brown of D Company. A Mauser bullet 
struck him through the body, and he fell dead in his tracks. All about him 
men were dropping with bullets in the legs or arms. Some who were wounded 
kept on toward the enemy. A little beyond where Brown fell, Private William 
E. Stillwagon of E Company got the bullet that cost him his life. Still the 
men went on with fine courage, and into position in the open field across the 
road at the right of our line. There they held their ground, pumping away 
at the Spaniards as hard as they could. 

" Now a perfectly natural thing occurred with these green troops. Their 
pluck was as fine as man could ask. They were game to try to do anything 



330 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



they were told, but they had never been ' shooted over/ as the English say, 
and they got excited. They lost the regularity of their volley fire and their 
effectiveness decreased tremendously in consequence. They could not see 
their enemy in the terrible night, and they could not see the flash of his 
rifles. They could not locate him and they were firing absolutely in the dark. 
With the roar of your own guns in your ears it is hard to judge by the crack 
of the enemy's Mauser where he is. It is difficult to tell where a Mauser is 
fired when you have quiet and daylight. How almost impossible it is in the 
dark with battle raging about you, and a howling wind driving a terrific rain 
in eddies and gusts into your face and down your neck! 

Brave Captain O'Hara. 

" For an hour the fight had been going on fiercely. The noise of it got 
out to the ships of the fleet, drifting against the wind, and the searchlights 
began to wink and to travel over toward the Spanish position. Blessed relief 
to our men. It gave them now and then a glimpse of the country ahead of 
them. They could see something of where they were shooting, but still they 
could see no enemy. Camp Dewey had been awake a long time. 

(i Lying in his tent, almost at the north end of the camp, Captain O'Hara, 
in command of the battalion of the Third Artillery, unable to get sleep, had 
been keeping track of the firing. He knew our men had but fifty rounds of 
ammunition with them, and he realized that at the rate they were shooting 
that would soon be expended. He didn't know what the trouble was, but he 
did know that if they were attacked they would want help when their ammu- 
nition was gone, and they would want it mighty badly. 

" Battery K of his battalion was in position as supports ; but the orders 
were not to go in unless the Pennsylvanians were in a pinch. Captain O'Hara 
counted the volleys until the firing became indiscriminate, and he understood 
that the boys were getting rattled. He had no orders, but he took a chance j 
and he took it just in time. 

"He sounded the assembly. As the bugle-call rose over the camp, out of 
their tents tumbled the men of battery H, and into line they ran, Krag-Jor- 
gensen rifles in hand and 150 rounds in their double belts. Down the camp 
below the Third Artillery another bugler picked up the call. The First 
Colorado men heard it and swarmed out with their guns. Nebraska followed 
suit, and soon half the camp was in arms. 

" Leaving Captain Hobbs, in command of Battery H, with orders to be 
ready to advance at the bugle-call, and to bring 10,000 rounds of extra ammu- 
nition, Captain O'Hara, with his orderly and his bugler, started up the road 
toward the front, A little beyond the corner of the camp he met an orderly 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



331 



from Major Cuthbertson coming on the dead run. The orderly was blown 
and frightened. He had run through a rain of bullets on his way back for 
help, and it had increased his excitement and enlarged his notion of what had 
occurred. 

" ' We're whipped!' he shouted to Captain O'Hara. ' We're' 

The Rush to the Rescue. 

" But O'Hara didn't care what else had happened. His bugler was 
already putting his soul into the command, 'forward ! ' O'Hara heard the 
answer from Hobbs's bugler, and captain, orderly and bugler charged up the 
road to the front with all the speed their legs would give. The bugles sang 
along the road in the steady, reassuring song of ' Forward ! ' and the men of 
Battery H, toiling up through the dreadful mud, answered with a cheer and a 
fresh spurt. 

" Somewhere ahead O'Hara knew Krayenbuhl and his own battery were. 
If they had not gone in already he would take them. He met men coming 
to the rear with wounded, and some coming without wounded, straggling. 

" 'We are beaten ! ' they shouted, and the ready bugler shouted the single 
reply of ' Forward ! ' The shame-faced stragglers fell in with the captain, the 
orderly and the bugler, and the little procession swept on towards the fight. 

" It was hot work in the Camino Real. Much experience had given the 
Spaniards a first-class idea of the range, and they lined the road with bullets, 
for they knew that reinforcements would be likely to come that way. The 
mud was ankle deep most of the way, and, in spite of the rain, which was 
unceasing, the heat was awful. But there was trouble ahead, and on they 
went, with the exultant bugle singing its single word ' Forward ! ' Every 
time the answer came sharp and clear from Battery H, and up the road they 
doubled for dear life. At the cross-road and the first barricade, where Kray- 
enbuhl had been posted with his regulars, there were only some stragglers, 
and Captain O'Hara thanked God and sounded ' Forward ! ' — the regulars had 
gone in. The stragglers swung in with O'Hara, and they went on up the road. 

" The bullets spatted the mud in their faces and they hugged the bam- 
boos at the sides of the road. They advanced in double column, one on each 
side of the road, and so they escaped harm. Just beyond this barricade 
Hobbs and his men of Battery H overtook them. The bugles commanded 
' Forward ! ' and on they ran. The song of the bugles carried down the wind 
to the trenches. The hard-pressed Pennsylvanians heard it and answered 
with a cheer that drifted back to the hurrying regulars and put strength for a 
new spurt into their tired legs. 

"As they went along Captain Hobbs felt a suddden sharp sting in his 



332 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



right thigh. He put his hand down and felt blood and knew he was hit. 
But his leg worked all right and he had his bugler sound 'Forward!' and 
went on. 

" O'Hara was right about Krayenbuhl. The young lieutenant had been 
keeping sharp watch on what was going on in his front, and when the Ameri- 
can firing ceased to be by volleys and ran into an indiscriminate helterskelter, 
he concluded that it was about time for him to go in. Then a man came back 
with the report that everything was going to the dogs, and Krayenbuhl started, 
sending a message to Kessler, over on his right, to come along in a hurry. 
Kessler was expecting the order and was ready for it, and in went the men 
of Battery K on the jump. Krayenbuhl got there first and he was none too 
soon. The Pennsylvanians were almost out of ammunition. Some of them 
had four or five rounds left and some of them had none. Those who still had 
cartridges were popping away indiscriminately, firing at will. 

" Nothing was the matter with them but rattles. They had not been 
hurt. There had been reports from across the road of the loss D and E 
Companies were suffering, and some of the men had seen their dead, but in 
the trench they were all right, and the Utah artillerymen, cool as a New Eng- 
land Christmas, were serving their guns with clock-work regularity, undis- 
turbed by rumor or shell. 

"As the regulars went in and Krayenbuhl realized what was going on he 
drew his revolver and jumped among the excited men, who were firing at will, 
shouting to them to get together, and threatening to shoot the first man who 
fired without orders. His own men swung into action, and his command and 
their work had the desired effect. 

The Frightened Courier. 

"The Pennsylvanians steadied down at once. The first volley of the 
regulars, fired as if it was only one gun, brought the volunteers back into 
shape, and they cheered the men of Battery K with a cheer that rang back 
along the road to O'Hara and Hobbs, puffing up with Battery H. The roar 
of the Krag-Jorgensen volley told O'Hara and Hobbs that their own men 
were in action, and the cheer that followed let them know that it was all right. 
But they did not slack up. Their bugles sounded the old command of For- 
ward ! ' and they kept on. 

" In the meantime the frightened courier had stumbled through the camp 
and into the tent of Major Jones, the master of transportation. The major 
had been up and about for some time, expecting that reinforcements would be 
sent forward and ready to send extra ammunition as soon as the orders came 
from General Greene. The courier was almost in hysterics when he found 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



333 



the major, and he was exhausted with his hard run of two miles through 
the mud. 

" ' Somebody take my gun,' he cried. ' Help me to General Greene ! 
Where's the General ? Somebody take me there ! We're whipped ! We're 
whipped ! Oh, it's awful ! ' 

" They almost picked him up and dragged him across the lot and up the 
steps to the General's quarters in a native hut just in front of the camp. The 
General was up, expecting a message from the front. 

" ' General,' cried the wretched courier, 'send reinforcements — send every 
man, send every company. We're whipped, we're whipped ! The whole 
battery is wiped off the face of the earth. We're out of ammunition. Send 
help — send '— 

" General Greene put his hand on the frightened messenger's shoulder, 
and said, steadily : 

" ' Keep cool, young man. It's all right. We'll take care of you.' 

{ Bugles and Bullets. 

" After a little he got a more explicit report, but already he had ordered 
the general call to arms to be sounded through the camp and ammunition to 
be sent forward. At the general call the bugles rang all over the camp, and 
every man answered with his rifle and his belt full of cartridges. Colonel 
Smith of the First California was ordered to go forward with his regiment at 
once, and before the miserable courier had half finished his dreadful story, the 
first battalion under Major William Baxter was doubling up through the fields 
and the Colonel in the road was overhauling the two artillery Captains and 
the men of Battery H. The Second Battalion, under Major Hugh Sime, fol- 
lowed, to be held in reserve, and the Third Battalion, under Captain Cunning- 
ham, in the illness of Major Tilden, was left in camp, it being booked for 
duty in the trenches the next day. 

" At last General Greene got the messenger's story as fully as the badly 
scared soldier could give it, and dismissed him. The poor fellow started 
through the camp surrounded by men who were eager to hear the news from 
the front. 

" ' Did you hear any bullets? ' some one asked him. 
" ' Bullets! ' he cried; ' they're like hail.' 

" General Greene at once ordered Captain Febiger of the Twenty-third 
United States Infantry to go out to the Raleigh and tell Captain Coglan to be 
ready to engage the Malate battery. A terrific surf was booming in on the 
beach in front of the camp, and Captain Febiger had no boat. After a lot of 
work he succeeded in signalling to the little Callao, which was lying in shore 



334 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



off the Raleigh, to send a boat. Finally the boat got through the surf and 
Captain Febiger put out. 

" It was a tremendous task, but the Callao's men were equal to it, and 
the Captain, wet as if he had been dragged in on a lifeline, boarded the 
Raleigh. Captain Coglan's orders from Admiral Dewey put him practically 
under General Greene, and he at once prepared to respond to the General's 
command. The ship was cleared for action and the crew went to quarters. 
Meantime Captain Febiger had returned to General Greene, who sent word 
back to the Raleigh by the Callao's boat that a rocket would be the General's 
signal for the Raleigh to go in. So the Raleigh stood by with guns shotted 
and the crew at quarters waiting for the rocket, but to the great disappoint- 
ment of the jackies it was not fired. The regulars in the trenches settled the 
matter, and no help was needed from the navy. 

Oalifornian's Dreadful Mistake. 

" Before Captains O'Hara and Hoff got to the trench with Battery H, 
Kessler had joined Krayenbuhl with the second platoon of K. The steady, 
heavy volley of the Krag-Jorgensen rifles of the regulars warned the Spaniards 
that reinforcements had come, and that a new force was against them. Then 
came Boxton's battalion of California men and made a terrible mistake. They 
marched up through the open .field under the hailstorm of shells and bullets 
from the Spanish. Captain Reinhold Richter of Company I was the first to 
fall, hit on the top of the head on the right side by a bullet which made a 
pulp of the outer layer of the skull. The doctors hope he will recover, but 
his condition is very critical. 

" As the men advanced First Sergeant Morris Jurth of Company A fell, 
instantly killed by a bullet through the body. Every few yards some man 
fell, but the battalion kept on until they reached the old insurgent trench. 
They had not been at the front before since our own outwork was built and 
they thought this old trench was ours. They saw firing ahead of them and 
heard the bullets whistle by. They did not stop to ask what had become of 
our men, but opened fire by volley straight into the backs of the Pennsyl- 
vanians and the regulars in the trenches ahead of them. 

" Colonel Smith, who had caught up with the regulars of Battery H and 
was with Captain O'Hara in the trench, at once sent one of his officers back 
to warn Major Boxton of his mistake. The officer went on the run, but before 
his message was delivered three volleys had been fired. It was impossible to 
tell what the result of the shooting was or whether any of our men were hit. 
The surgeons say that they cannot distinguish a Mauser wound from a Spring- 
field, but that no man was killed by a shot from behind. One man was hit in 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



335 



the back, but that was by a Mauser bullet that struck him as he was lying 
down in the advance across the open field. The bullet stuck in his cartridge 
belt, and that's how it was shown to be a Mauser. 

" When the California Battalion finally got to the front it was sent out 
with part of the regulars to the support of D and E companies of the Penn- 
sylvanians on the right. There and in the march up through the open field 
most of our loss was met with. But there were some casualties in the trench. 
Private Brady, of I Company, Tenth Pennsylvania, was killed in the trench, 
and Private Mcllrath, of Battery H, got the wound there from which he died 
the next morning. Mcllrath had been in the regular army for fifteen years, 
and was a first-class man. He was acting Sergeant in command of twenty 
men. When his men got to the trench there was a great deal of confusion 
and excitement among the Pennsylvanians, and Mcllrath jumped up on top of 
the parapet and shouted : 

" ' It's all right, boys, now we've got 'em. Get together and give it to 'em 
in volleys.' 

" He was walking back and forth on top of the parapet steadying the 
men, when he was hit in the head by a Mauser bullet, and fell back among 
his comrades. He died in the brigade hospital early on Monday morning. 

Private Finlay's Heroism. 

" Private J. F. Finlay, of C Company, First California, especially distin- 
guished himself. For such work as his Englishmen get the Victoria Cross. 
Finlay is detailed to Major Jones's transportation department as interpreter. 
His mother was a Mexican, and he learned Spanish before he did English. 
When ammunition was sent forward Finlay was in charge of the train. He 
had eight carromatta loads of it, each carromatta with a native driver. He 
started when the Spanish fire was hottest and went straight up through the 
open fields. The bullets buzzed and whistled all about him. They ripped 
through the tops of his carts and one of them hit one of his drivers in the leg. 

" Finlay kept on as if he were going after corn on a pleasant afternoon 
until he reached the old insurgent trench. Then he halted his train and went 
forward alone to find some one from the Tenth Pennsylvania to whom he 
could deliver the ammunition. That last hundred yards into our trench was 
what Captain O'Hara, a grizzled veteran who has seen a-plenty of hot work, 
called a 'very hot place.' It was swept incessantly by Spanish bullets. But 
Finlay hunted around until he found his man, went back and got his carro- 
mattas, and started forward. One of his ponies was shot just in the rear of 
our trench. Finlay took it out of the cart, and, with the native driver, hauled 
the cart along to its place, delivered his cartridges, and started back. 



336 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



" On the way he found Captain Richter lying in the field where he had 
fallen. He jumped out of his carromatta, put the Captain in, and started on. 
Pretty soon he found another wounded man. That one was picked up, too, 
and back he went to camp. Then he turned the wounded over to the surgeons 
and got orders to take ten carromattas to the front and bring back the wounded. 
Back over that bullet-swept field he went again, as cool and unconcerned as if 
on a drive through Golden Gate Park, did his work, brought in the wounded, 
and turned in to get what sleep he could before the hard day's work began 
soon after daylight. 

" After he had sent forward everything that he could to help the men at 
the front, General Greene went out himself. By this time it was after 2 
o'clock, and the worst of it was over. The regulars were pumping in heavy 
volleys, and the Utah boys were cracking away at their undisturbed target 
practice, and the ' attempt at flanking ' was repulsed. General Greene 
stayed at the front until after 3 o'clock, and then returned to camp. At day- 
light there was a sharp burst of firing by the Spaniards, but our men did not 
respond, and there was no damage done. The wounded were all brought 
into camp, and the serious cases were treated at the brigade hospital ; the 
others were taken care of at regimental hospitals or went to their tents. 

Burial of the Dead. 

" In the afternoon the eight dead were buried in the yard of the old con- 
vent at Maribacan, back of the camp. There were no coffins available, so 
each man was sewed up in his blanket, and an identification tag was sewed 
fast to it. They were buried all in one trench, and headboards were set up 
to mark the graves, bearing the names of the dead. The chaplain of the 
Tenth Pennsylvania took a careful description of the place and the graves, 
with the names and records of the dead 

" The surgeons worked all day over the wounded, and did not get 
through until 9 o'clock in the evening. They found several very serious 
cases, some of which have since resulted in death. 

" On Monday two battalions of the First Colorado and the third battalion 
of the First California were sent into the trenches with a new detachment of 
the even-tempered Mormons. They finished the work on the embankment, 
and the California men, who went in on the right of the road where D and E 
companies of the Pennsylvanians suffered so severely the night before, began 
to dig a trench for themselves. It was a nasty, slimy place they had. and 
hard work intrenching. Just as they had got a ridge of mud about two 
feet high thrown up in front of them, the Spaniards cut loose again. A red 
hot fire was kept up all night, and the Californians responded with vigor. 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



337 



One man was shot through the left shoulder, but it was only a flesh wound, 
and not serious. 

" When the evening performance opened, the Colorado and Utah men 
in the trenches replied hotly, the infantrymen firing volleys that were hard to 
tell from big-gun firing, and the Utah men blazing away in their old, level- 
headed fashion. The practice of the Spanish gunners was excellent, and the 
shells burst all about the intrenchment. The Spaniards left their trench and 
advanced into the scrub. Apparently they had one field gun with them, and 
it paid particular attention to the guns of Battery B of Utah. 

" Finally, one of its shells came through the embrasure and burst on top 
of the gun, knocking off the sights. The Utah men had a shrapnel shell in 
their gun at the time, and they let it go. It burst right where the flash of 
the Spanish gun had been seen, and the Spanish gun was heard no more that 
night. Whether it was disabled or not cannot be told. 

" Just after the firing began, Private Fred Springstead, D Company, First 
Colorado, was killed. He was posted at lookout, and was peering over the 
top of the trench. A Mauser bullet struck him in the left eye and went 
through his head, killing him instantly. His head dropped on his hand, but 
that was a common action with the lookouts, and no attention was paid to it 
by his comrades until he collapsed and fell down. The ball struck him so 
quickly that it did not mark the eyelid, and when the lid was closed no mark 
of the wound showed. One man in G Company was shot in the thigh that 
night. That sums up the loss. 

" Most of the night the Colorado men sat still and let the Spaniards 
waste their ammunition. At daylight there was a sharp fire by the Spaniards 
for twenty minutes. They shelled the old chapel with excellent aim, their 
shells bursting in and around it constantly, but doing no damage to our men. 
Their advance had crawled to within fifty yards of our trench, and Major Bell, 
of the Engineers, Chief of Office of Military Information, on General Merritt's 
staff, urged Colonel Hall to go over the breastwork and capture them. But 
Colonel Hall wisely refused. Some of his men surely would have been 
killed, and the loss of one man would not have been compensated for by the 
whole Spanish advance. We have more prisoners now than we know what 
to do with, and the capture of these would not have done any good ; it 
wouldn't have put us any nearer Manila." 

Tales of Heroism. 

Corporal Hudson, of the Utah Battery, performed a notable act of gal- 
lantry on the night of July 31st. A gun embrasure had been wrecked by a 
shell which rendered the gun useless. Another shell entered, carrying away 
22 



338 



THE FIGHT AT MALATE. 



the sights. Hudson jumped over the trenches, exposed himself to the heavy 
Spanish fire, reconstructed the embrasure and in five minutes the gun was 
again working. He was cheered by his comrades and congratulated by his 
commander. This brave man was the American whom the insurgents at- 
tempted to arrest in Cavite on August 26th. He resisted and was shot dead. 

E. E. Kelly, a Chicago telegraph operator, had charge of the wire from 
General Greene's headquarters in camp to the trenches. During the attack 
a shell cut the wire behind the trenches. Kelly seized the line outside the 
camp and ran along the line in the darkness under a hail of bullets clear up 
to the trenches, where he found the break and repaired it. Communication 
was instantly opened and the troops in the trenches were notified that rein- 
forcements were advancing to their assistance. Kelly was made a sergeant 
in the Signal Corps by General Greene. 

A corporal of the Tenth Pennsylvania, single-handed, captured seven 
armed Spanish soldiers near the Luneta battery. He marched them five 
hundred yards to a company commander, where they were disarmed. 

Two nights after the capitulation two hundred armed insurgents attempted 
to enter Binondo. They encountered a guard of thirty men of the Nebraska 
regiment. This detail disarmed them, arrested them and marched them 
prisoners to headquarters. 



CHAPTER XX. 



Surrender of Manila After Attack of Dewey and Merritt. 



3j®s_^|W0 weeks after the fight in the trenches at Malate, or to be exact, 
J|| WtiL on Saturday, August 14th, Manila surrendered, before either the 
@B Est American or Spanish commanders had received any news of the 
Sb^^Sl peace protocol. This fact was to figure afterwards in the peace 
negotiations. For an hour, Admiral Dewey bombarded the city, while the 
army under General Mer- 
ritt, drove the enemy into 
the town. The story of 
the day is graphically told 
in the following extract 
from a letter written by a 
staff officer, who was very 
active in the advance, to 
his wife, giving her an 
account of his personal 
doings. 

It gives also a very 
clear picture of the work 
done by our men, of the 
way in which the city was 
entered, and of the man- 
ner in which the insur- 
gents were dealt with. It 
recounts the observations 
as well as the acts of a 
trained army officer, who, 
as aide to General Greene, 
was obliged to go over very much of the ground, and was therefore in posi- 
tion to see probably more of the day's work than any other one man : 

" Two days before I had made my reconnoissance of the position in our 
front and accurately located the cannon in the defences. One of them pointed 
directly up the beach on the edge of the bay, and this one we were unable to 
see with glasses on the morning of the bombardment. As General Babcock 
was wondering whether it was still there, I offered to go down and again re- 

339 




GENERAL WESLEY MERRITT 



340 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



connoitre the position to ascertain with certainty whether the cannon had 
been removed. I started down the beach, concealing myself in the brush on 
the way, and had approached nearly to the river, when the bombardment 
suddenly opened from the ships. All the shells fell short, and as they struck 
the water they ricocheted and whistled over my head in such number that I 
was compelled to retreat about ioo yards in order to get out of the line of 
fire. A slight lull then ensued in the firing, and I returned to my former 
position, not having had a chance to use my field-glasses while there first. 

" A second time the ships opened fire, and the shells, again falling short, 
drove me from my position, but I returned a third time and finished the re- 
connoissance, then ran back to our trenches, reporting to General Babcock 
that the gun had been removed. I also made this report to General Greene, 
and he said : ' No, you are mistaken ; the gun is still there. I can see from 
here about eight feet of it,' and he pointed out the place to me. Raising my 
glasses, I thought, sure enough, there is the gun. On our arrival at the 
trench, however, after the assault, I found the gun General Greene and I 
thought we saw was a bent piece of corrugated iron lying in such a fashion 
on top of the trench as to closely resemble a cannon a thousand yards away. 

" During the early part of the bombardment I climbed to a site on the 
flat tin roof of a white house, through which our trench ran, and from there 
could plainly see and report to the gunners the effect of the shots from our 
three 2-inch rifles, which were being served by the Utah Light Battery. They 
did excellent shooting and much execution on the fort, but the principal 
damage was done by two large-sized shells landed square in the fort by gun- 
ners from the fleet. They created havoc and must have killed and wounded 
many Spaniards. 

Race for a Spanish Flag. 

" Seeing two companies of the Colorado regiment ordered to advance 
from the trenches, I hastily descended and joined them. After advancing 
about a hundred yards or so this line concealed itself behind good cover to 
await the bombardment from the ships to grow less dangerous. Pretty soon, 
however, we were ordered to advance, and I, acccmpanied by three citizens, 
led the line through the brush. We stopped once more about 350 yards 
from the enemy's position and fired a number of volleys. We then made a 
rush across the mouth of a small river which separated us from the powder 
magazine at Malate. We then stopped on the further side of the stream, the 
men lying down behind cover, and very shortly the rest of the Colorado regi- 
ment began to advance in our rear in support. 

u As we neared the fort I was anxious to be the first to arrive and take 
down the Spanish flag as a trophy for you; so when the advance began 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



341 



again I, accompanied by the three citizens, rushed forward in advance of the 
line, but it halted again, and the Colonel called us back, as he desired to fire 
some volleys before approaching nearer. We reluctantly returned to the 
rear of the line, which just at that time began another advance, and the Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of the regiment (McCoy) ran ahead of his line, and getting 
the start of me beat me into the fort and secured the flag for his regiment. 

" As I ran up on the parapet I noticed a very pretty little trumpet lying 
on the bed in a small room and I seized that and several machetes (called 
bolas by the natives here) as trophies. Lying under a small nipa shed be- 
hind the fort was a poor Spaniard badly wounded in the head and still 
breathing. I called him to the attention of the first hospital corps man I 
saw and continued in rapid advance with the line. 

" As we proceeded from the fort back to a building which had been oc- 
cupied as a barracks by the officers, we came under such a heavy fire from the 
enemy that the men took to the trenches and stopped to return the fire. I 
kept on to the house and there captured some valuable papers, among them 
one document which earned for a small native boy a reward of $25, a fee I 
had promised him on the contingency that certain information he gave me 
should be found to be correct. This was a very bright boy who came into 
my camp several weeks ago peddling cigars. He said that his father was an 
American who had now teft the country and he was living with his mother, 
a native woman, in Manila. 

Some Lively Firing. 

" He spoke Spanish fluently, and so I questionea him to know if he 
thought he could bring me certain information I was desirous of obtaining. 
He thought he could, and returning to Manila, came back in four days with 
just what I wanted. I paid him liberally, and then sent him again to count 
the number of Spaniards who served in the trench immediately in our front. 
He came back with a report that there were seven trenches, served by about 
fifty Spaniards each, with a certain number of guns. Knowing the trench 
was a continuous one, I considered his information valueless and thought he 
was trying to play a native trick on me, so paid him nothing. When I cap- 
tured the paper I discovered that the Spaniards themselves had divided this 
continuous trench into seven parts, numbering them from one to seven, and 
that the regular garrison of these trenches was as the boy had stated, about 
fifty men each. Why they should so divide a continuous trench I cannot 
see, but they did. The number of cannon he had reported was exactly right. 

" While I was at this house there was considerable skirmishing between 
our men and the enemy, and a poor fellow of the Colorado regiment was shot 



342 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



in the neck as he stood near me and has since died. Hearing some Mauser 
rifles popping behind a wall I got a Captain of the California regiment to 
have his men hold their guns at arm's length above the wall and discharge 
them into the yard beyond to drive the Spaniards away. They were making 
it uncomfortably warm for men on our side who were approaching along the 
beach from the rear. The California regiment at this point passed the Colo- 
rado regiment and took the advance. Joining the California regiment I 
proceeded down the street with it and saw Sam Widdifield's squad (he is a 
corporal) very gallantly advance on the run and drive some Spaniards out of 
a yard who had been firing on our men approaching on the left. 

" Engleskjon, General Babcock's orderly, had gone back for our horses, 
which we left in the rear, but not being able to wait I borrowed a captured 
horse and soon wore him out carrying messages for General Babcock and 
General Greene. All this time I was galloping around the streets of Malate 
(that suburb of Manila through which we were then advancing) in which our 
men were skirmishing with the enemy. I requested Colonel Smith of the 
California regiment to leave a small guard over every house flying the Eng- 
lish flag, which he did. The English have been very friendly to us in this 
war, and I wanted to see the compliment returned. 

Insurgents Open Fire. 

" I returned and reported to General Greene for duty. He immediately 
directed me to ride to the front, and, selecting a patrol of ten men from the 
California regiment, to advance upon the walled city, reconnoitre it and see 
whether they would fire on me. As Engleskjon just then returned with my 
horse I got on it, and taking him with me we galloped to the front to make 
the reconnoissance ; but just as we came out on the Lunetta, an open space 
between the walled city and Malate, one company of the Twenty-third Infantry 
debouched from Malate along the beach and the First Battalion of the Cali- 
fornia regiment came out of the streets of Malate onto this open space. I 
followed them, and before we reached the walls of the city we observed a white 
flag flying on its corner. They marched to the street which encircles the 
wall, called the Calle de Bagumbayan, and there halted. 

"As soon as we had seen the white flag I had sent Engleskjon to report 
the fact to General Greene, and after we had advanced to the foot of the wall 
I returned myself and reported to him that the enemy had ceased firing 
General Greene's orders required him to march around the walled city and 
take possession of the suburbs across the river on the other side. Before 
starting back myself I directed the halted troops, by his order, to move about 
a half mile around toward the river and then halt to await further orders 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



.343 



from him. They did move down opposite the road which leads up to the 
walled city from a small town in the country called Santa Ana. It had been 
our whole plan entirely to prevent the insurgents from getting into the city, 
in order to protect the inhabitants and houses against their looting propensi- 
ties, but at Santa Ana a number of insurgents, seeing the Spanish falling back, 
had been too quick for our troops and had approached the walled city from 
that direction. 

" Coming up within rifle range they began to fire indiscriminately at our 
troops (who had halted between them and the Spaniards) and at the Spaniards 
behind them. This caused the Spaniards to return the fire and for a few 
minutes here stood our helpless troops (four companies of the California regi- 
ment) between two fires, knowing there had been an error and powerless to 
correct it. They deserve much credit for being cool enough not to return the 
fire on either party, for such an action might have precipitated what could 
have been nothing but a bloody and useless carnage. 

" During this firing three men were wounded and one shot in the head 
so badly that he died soon afterward. The others were not severely wounded, 
one being shot in the shoulder and the other shot in the hand. 1 myself after- 
ward helped to dress the wound of the one shot in the hand, as no physician 
was near at the time, all being occupied with wounded in the rear. All the 
men carried on their persons small packages of emergency dressings, and now 
I hope you will never again say that that little package of emergency dress- 
ing which I have been carrying to your discomfort in my grip and trunk for 
ten years is a nuisance and useless. 

Greene Enters the City. 

" When I reported to General Greene and he galloped to the front, fol- 
lowed by his staff and myself, and as we were crossing the Lunetta, a number 
of shots were fired at us from Mauser rifles by Spaniards concealed in native 
huts off to the right of the open space from which our men had previously 
advanced. I think these were native soldiers in the service of the Spaniards, 
who had been cut off by our rapid advance and were trying to make their 
way into the city. They had been pressed pretty hard by the columns which 
had advanced through the streets of Malate which were furthest away from 
the beach, but they had been unable to fall back as fast as our men had ad- 
vanced along the beach and that street which was nearest the beach. 

" General Greene rode up to the wall and had a consultation with an 
official who came forward to meet him near its corner. Then we turned to 
the right and started along the Calle de Bagumbayan to go around the city. 
When we reached that gate of the wall which enters from the road to Paco 



344 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



we met a number of mounted Spanish officials, whom General Greene stopped 
to interview. They brought a request that he enter the city to see the Captain- 
General, and accompanied by his Adjutant-General, Captain Bates, and by 
Dr. Bourns as an interpreter, he went into the city, leaving us to await his 
return. 

"The men were halted, and while resting on their arms freely talked with 
the conquered Spaniards. It is very strange how soon soldiers of opposing 
sides will affiliate with each other after one side has given up. While General 
Greene was in the city, General Anderson and General Babcock arrived and 
soon afterward General Greene came out of the city and had a conference with 
these two generals. 

Insurgents Pulled Up Short. 

" We then resumed our progress around the walled city, and having 
reached another road leading into the city from Santa Ana, we found another 
gang of insurgents in our way, whom General Greene directed two companies 
to force out of the road on to another street, so as to let his command pass 
by. One man with a red sash tied around his shoulders and very much ex- 
cited was haranguing the crowd, and when directed to move his men into the 
side street by Dr. Bourns, who spoke to him in Spanish, pursuant to General 
Greene's orders, he said : ' No, we are not going anywhere. We are going 
into the walled city. That's what we came for, and that's what we are going 
to do.' 

" I jumped off my horse and pulling my pistol out, shook it in his face 
and told Dr. Bourns to say to him that if he wanted trouble he could have it 
right off, but if he didn't want trouble he had better move his men where 
ordered to, and move them damned quick. He suddenly became very polite, 
and with many salaams, said ' Si, si, senor.' In the meantime two companies 
had marched up to the side of the insurgents, and, wheeling into line in front 
of them, pressed them_ out of our way back into the side street. Then the 
insurgents went back that street and approached from another direction, but 
were headed off by Colonel Smith of the First California, to whom I carried an 
order to force them back across a bridge over the river and hold them there. 

" General Greene sent me with a battalion across the Puente de Espana, 
the main and principal bridge leading from the corner of the walled city over 
into the suburbs of Binondo and Tondo. On coming back he sent me with 
another battalion across the bridge leading into Quiapo. Returning from this 
duty, I informed him there was another bridge just above the one leading to 
Quiapo, and he sent me back with orders to direct Colonel Smith to guard 
that bridge also. Returning to General Greene, I again got a message to 
carry to the colonel of the Nebraska regiment, who was awaiting orders in 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



345 



the rear, and bringing him up to the front, I accompanied General Greene and 
his staff until all the troops were posted in positions to guard the principal 
buildings of the towns and all the main approaches into the outskirts, so that 
the insurgents could be prevented from entering and looting the place. This 
they were very keen to do. 

Hot Work for General MacArthur. 

''All this time, while General Greene's brigade was fighting through the 
city and afterward posting itself for protection against the insurgents, General 
MacArthur's brigade, which had entered the outskirts of the city to the right 
and rear of ours, had been fighting near Santa Ana, Concordia, Paco and 
Cingalon with Spanish skirmishers, and following up in our rear to take the 
positions on the outskirts abandoned by our troops, in order to prevent the 
insurgents from following in our rear. A portion of his command had rather 
a tough fight near Concordia, and lost in about five minutes several men 
killed and fifteen or twenty wounded. He, however, succeeded in cutting off 
all but a few of the insurgents, who slipped in too quick for him at Santa Ana. 

"All along the north side of the town extending from Santa Ana, around 
in a northerly direction to the bay at Malabon, near Caloocan, the Spanish 
held their positions and did not fall back ; so we took up our positions in 
their rear, and although they had surrendered they were not relieved from 
duty in these trenches until four o'clock on the following afternoon. I don't 
suppose there ever was another case on record where two armies opposed to 
each other fought out their differences and agreed to a plan to join hands for 
the protection of a helpless population against the evil propensities of a third 
armed party. 

" The following day General Greene sent me to make a reconnoissance 
and report on the Spanish line extending from Santa Ana around northward, 
and the Spanish still being in these trenches, I came in contact with all of 
them. All the officers appeared very friendly and not resentful, except one, 
a Colonel Carbo, who was a fire-eating Spaniard and Colonel of the Guias 
Rurales. He was very theatrical in his manner and objected to surrendering 
as he did, stating that he much preferred fighting to the death for his beloved 
country. 

" That evening late, as I was returning from my duty, I found a drunken 
American soldier on the street with a rock in his hand, having an altercation 
with three or four Chinamen who were trying to keep him out of their house. 
They complained that he wanted to drink the alcohol out of their shellac. 
They were dealers in oils, paints, varnishes, shellac, etc. He was accompanied 
by a citizen who spoke English and said he was an Englishman, but I think 



346 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



he was probably a discharged American soldier who had remained with the 
command. He also was drunk. I asked him if he was a soldier and he said 
no, so I arrested the soldier he was with and ordered the citizen to move on 
and go about his business. He followed me up, abusing me for arresting the 
soldier, and I again went back and drove him away, saying that I would arrest 
him, too, if I had any more trouble with him. 

" I delivered the soldier to the guard, and as I was turning away I encoun- 
tered the citizen again coming to the rescue of the soldier. My Irish was 
then up and I started for him, but he ran away. I soon overtook him and 
arrested him, but he resisted, and I struck him over the head with my pistol, 
which cut his scalp and made the blood flow freely. He then accompanied 
me to the guard. He had told me that ' no damned American officer could 
arrest him because he was an English citizen,' and I concluded that it was best 
for the community that this erroneous impression should be removed. 

" Here is an incident of the entrance into Manila which I forgot to relate. 
While I was advancing down the streets of Malate with the California regi- 
ment some Mauser rifle shots were heard from a small building between the 
Calle Real and the beach. About a dozen California men rushed into the 
yard in which the building was situated, and, kneeling down, pumped a rain 
of bullets into the house. I turned away to another place where sharp firing 
was going on, and presently I saw these men bringing out of the yard three 
badly scared natives, soldiers in the Spanish army, whom they had captured 
in the house, and one of the men remarked that one man in the house had 
been killed, and that there had been four of them altogether. They carried 
their prisoners along with the advancing troops. 

Big Bluff by Major Jones. 

" While we were waiting on the Calle de Bagumbayan, Major Fitzhugh 
came into the street from the road leading toward Paco and reported to me 
that some insurgents had entered Malate in that direction and were advancing 
on the city, and that he and Major Jones, of the Quartermaster's Department, 
had taken the flag of the California regiment, and, going down the street in 
front of them had planted the flag and ordered them to halt, at the same time 
pulling their pistols and threatening to shoot the first man who dared to 
advance. Major Jones afterward remarked that it was simply a bluff on his 
part, as he didn't have a single cartridge in his pistol at the time. 

" They halted, however, and Major Fitzhugh had returned to report that 
they were threatening to come in anyhow and kill everybody — Americans or 
anybody else — who tried to prevent them. He thought some troops should 
be sent there, and I referred him to General Greene, who just then came out 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



347 



of the walled city. He reported to General Greene, and I understand some 
troops were immediately dispatched to prevent their further advance. 

u I have never before realized what a demoralizing thing it is to be shot 
at and not know where the bullet is coming from. The Mauser rifle used by 
the Spanish has a very small calibre, and as the Spanish used smokeless pow- 
der the noise was very slight. There was no flash or smoke at all. The 
flash could not even be seen by night. One could only judge of the direction 
from which the bullet came by the small popping noise of the explosion. 
This gave one a general idea, but no indication of where to shoot. It gave 
the Spanish a most decided advantage over all our volunteers, who were armed 
with Springfields, the fire from which made a great noise and much smoke, as 
old-fashioned powder was in the cartridges. 

" The other day I was sent by General Greene to guide certain officers to 
the water-works, the reservoir, and the pumping station. We found both in 
the hands of the insurgents, and at neither place would they allow us to 
examine the works until I had shown them an old pass that I had obtained 
from Aguinaldo when I started to make my first reconnoisance around the 
city. This proved to be an open sesame, and we had no further trouble. 
They would not give up the water-works, however, without an order, and so 
on the following day General Merritt directed me to go and see Aguinaldo 
concerning the matter, but just as I was making preparations to start, in the 
worst storm and over the worst roads I ever saw, two emissaries from Agui- 
naldo came to see General Greene about the same question, so I was saved a 
disagreeable journey. Everything is still in considerable confusion, but I 
believe it is straightening itself out as rapidly and as smoothly as could weP 
be expected under the circumstances." 

General Merritt's Report. 

The report of Major- General Wesley Merritt of his operations about 
Manila is dated on board the transport China, August 31. After giving 
briefly the story of his embarkation and arrival at Manila, and the disposition 
of the troops there, he says : 

" I found General Greene's command encamped on a strip of sandy land 
running parallel to the shore of the bay, and not far distant from the beach, 
but owing to the great difficulties of landing supplies the greater portion of 
the force had shelter tents only, and were suffering many discomforts, the 
camp being situated in a low, flat place, without shelter from the heat of the 
tropical sun, or adequate protection during the terrific downpours of rain so 
frequent at this season. 

" I was at once struck by the exemplary spirit of patient, even cheerful, 



348 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



endurance shown by the officers and men under such circumstances, and this 
feeling of admiration for the manner in which the American soldier, volunteer 
and regular alike, accepts the necessary hardships of the work they have 
undertaken to do, has grown and increased with nearly every phase of the 
difficult and trying campaign which the troops of the Philippine expedition 
have brought to such a brilliant and successful conclusion. 

The Insurgents' Strength. 

" The Filipinos, or insurgent forces at war with Spain, had, prior to the 
arrival of the American land forces, been waging a desultory warfare with the 
Spaniards for several months, and were at the time of my arrival in considera- 
ble force, variously estimated and never accurately ascertained, but probably 
not far from 12,000 men. These troops, well supplied with small arms, with 
plenty of ammunition, and several field guns, had obtained positions of 
investment opposite to the Spanish line of detached works throughout their 
entire extent." 

General Merritt then speaks of Aguinaldo's operations previous to his 
arrival, and continues : 

" As General Aguinaldo did not visit me on my arrival nor offer his 
services as a subordinate military leader, and as my instructions from the 
President fully contemplated the occupation of the islands by the American 
land forces, and stated that ' the powers of the military occupant are absolute 
and supreme, and immediately operate upon the political condition of the 
inhabitants/ I did not consider it wise to hold any direct communication 
with the insurgent leader until I should be in possession of the city of Manila, 
especially as I would not until then be in a position to issue a proclamation 
and enforce my authority, in the event that his pretensions should clash with 
my designs. 

" For these reasons the preparations for the attack on the city were 
pressed, and military operations conducted without reference to the situation 
of the insurgent forces. The wisdom of this course was subsequently fully 
established by the fact, that when the troops of my command carried the 
Spanish intrenchments, extending from the sea to the Pasay Road, on the 
extreme Spanish right, we were under no obligations, by prearranged plans of 
mutual attack, to turn to the right and clear the front still held against the 
insurgents, but were able to move forward at once and occupy the city and 
suburbs. 

" To return to the situation of General Greene's brigade as I found it on 
my arrival, it will be seen that the difficulty in gaining an avenue of approach to 
the Spanish line lay in the fact of my disinclination to ask General Aguinaldo 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



349 



to withdraw from the beach and the ' Calle Real/ so that Greene could move 
forward. This was overcome by instructions to General Greene to arrange, it 
possible, with the insurgent brigade commander in his immediate vicinity to 
move to the right and allow the American forces unobstructed control of the 
roads in their immediate front. No objection was made, and accordingly 
General Greene's brigade threw forward a heavy outpost line on the ' Calle 
Real ' and the beach, and constructed a trench in which a portion of the guns 
of the Utah Battery was placed. 

The Spanish Night Attack. 

"The Spaniards, observing this activity on our part, made a sharp attack 
with infantry and artillery on the night of July 31st. The behavior of our 
troops during this night attack was all that could be desired, and I have, in 
cablegrams to the War Department, taken occasion to commend by name 
those who deserve special mention for good conduct in the affair. Our posi- 
tion was extended and strengthened after this, and resisted successfully 
repeated night attacks, our forces suffering, however, considerable loss in 
wounded and killed, while the losses of the enemy, owing to the darkness, 
could not be ascertained. 

" The strain of the night fighting and the heavy details for outpost duty 
made it imperative to reinforce General Greene's troops with General Mac- 
Arthur's brigade, which had arrived in transports on the 31st of July. The 
difficulties of this operation can hardly be over-estimated. The transports 
were at anchor off Cavite, five miles from a point on the beach, where it was 
desired to disembark the men. 

" Several squalls, accompanied by floods of rain, raged day after day, and 
the only way to get the troops and supplies ashore was to load them from 
the ship's side into native lighters (called ' cascos ') or small steamboats, move 
them to a point opposite the camp, and then disembark them through the surf 
in small boats, or by running the lighters head on the beach. The landing 
was finally accomplished, after days of hard work and hardships ; and I desire 
here to express again my admiration for the fortitude and cheerful willingness 
of men of all commands engaged in this operation. 

" Upon the assembly of MacArthur's brigade in support of Greene's, I 
had about 8,500 men in position to attack, and I deemed the time had come 
for final action. During the time of the night attacks I had communicated 
my desire to Admiral Dewey that he would allow his ships to open fire on 
the right of the Spanish line of intrenchments, believing that such action 
would stop the night firing and loss of life ; but the Admiral had declined to 
order it, unless we were in danger of losing our position by the assaults of the 



350 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



Spanish, for the reason that, in his opinion, it would precipitate a general 
engagement, for which he was not ready. 

" Now, however, the brigade of General MacArthur was in position, and 
the Monterey had arrived, and under date of August 6th Admiral Dewey 
agreed to my suggestion, that we should send a joint letter to the Captain- 
General notifying him that he should remove from the city all non-combatants 
within forty-eight hours, and that operations against the defences of Manila 
might begin at any time after the expiration of that period, 

" This letter was sent August 7, and a reply was received the same date 
to the effect that the Spanish were without places of refuge for the increased 
numbers of wounded, sick, women and children now lodged within the walls. 
On the 9th, a formal joint demand for the surrender of the city was sent in. 
This demand was based upon the hopelessness of the struggle on the part of 
the Spaniards, and that every consideration of humanity demanded that the 
city should not be subjected to bombardment under such circumstances. The 
Captain-General's reply, of same date, stated that the Council of Defence had 
declared that the demand could not be granted; but the Captain- General 
offered to consult his Government if we would allow him the time strictly 
necessary for the communications by way of Hong Kong. 

" This was declined on our part, for the reason that it could, in the 
opinion of the Admiral and myself, lead only to a continuance of the situa- 
tion, with no immediate result favorable to us, and the necessity was apparent 
and very urgent that decisive action should be taken at once to compel the 
enemy to give up the town, in order to relieve our troops from the trenches, 
and from the great exposure to unhealthy conditions, which were unavoida- 
ble in a bivouac during the rainy season. 

The Plan of Assault. 

" The seacoast batteries in defence of Manila are so situated that it is 
impossible for ships to engage them without firing into the town, and as the 
bombardment of a city filled with women and children, sick and wounded, 
and containing a large amount of neutral property, could only be justified as 
a last resort, it was agreed between Admiral Dewey and myself that an 
attempt should be made to carry the extreme right of the Spanish line of 
intrenchments in front of the positions at that time occupied by our troops, 
which, with its flank on the seashore, was entirely open to the fire of the 
navy. 

" It was not my intention to press the assault at this point, in case 
the enemy should hold it in strong force, until after the navy had made prac- 
ticable breaches in the works and shaken the troops holding them, which 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



351 



could not be done by the army alone, owing to the absence of siege guns. 
This is indicated fully in the orders and memorandum of attack hereto 
appended. It was believed, however, as most desirable, and in accordance 
with the principles of civilized warfare, that the attempt should be made to 
drive the enemy out of his intrenchments before resorting to the bombard- 
ment of the city. 

" By orders issued some time previously, MacArthur's and Greene's 
brigades were organized as the 2d division of the 8th Army Corps, Brigadier 
General Thomas M. Anderson commanding ; and in anticipation of the attack 
General Anderson moved his headquarters from Cavite to the brigade camps 
and assumed direct command in the field. Copies of the written and verbal 
instructions, referred to above and appended hereto, were given to the divi- 
sion and brigade commanders on the 12th, and all the troops were in position 
on the 13th at an early hour in the morning. 

Dewey Opens the Fight. 

"About 9 a.m. on that day our fleet steamed forward from Cavite, and 
before 10 a.m. opened a hot and accurate fire of heavy shells and rapid-fire 
projectiles on the sea flank of the Spanish intrenchments at the powder maga- 
zine fort, and at the same time the Utah batteries in position in our trenches 
near the ' Calle Real ' began firing with great accuracy. At 10.25, on a prear- 
ranged signal from our trenches that it was believed our troops could advance, 
the navy ceased firing, and immediately a light line of skirmishers from the 
Colorado regiment of Greene's Brigade passed over our trenches and deployed 
rapidly forward, another line from the same regiment from the left flank of 
our earthworks, advancing swiftly up the beach in open order. 

" Both of these lines found the powder magazine forts and the trenches 
flanking it deserted, but as they passed over the Spanish works they were met 
by a sharp fire from a second line situated in the streets of Malate, by which 
a number of men were killed and wounded, among others the soldier who 
pulled down the Spanish colors still flying on the fort and raised our own. 

" The works of the second line soon gave way to the determined advance 
of Greene's troops, and that officer pushed his brigade rapidly through Malate 
and over the bridges to occupy Binondo and San Miguel, as contemplated in 
his instructions. In the meantime the brigade of General MacArthur, advanc- 
ing simultaneously on the Pasay road, encountered a very sharp fire, coming 
from the block-houses, trenches and woods in his front, positions which it was 
very difficult to carry, owing to the swampy condition of the ground on both 
sides of the roads and the heavy undergrowth concealing the enemy. With 
much gallantry and excellent judgment on the part of the brigade commander 



352 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



and the troops engaged, these difficulties were overcome with a minimum loss 
and MacArthur advanced and held the bridges and the town of Malate, as was 
contemplated in his instructions. 

" The city of Manila was now in our possession, except the walled town, 
but shortly after the entry of our troops into Malate a white flag was displayed 
on the walls, whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel C. A. Whittier, United States 
Volunteers, of my staff, and Lieutenant Brumby, United States navy, repre- 
senting Admiral Dewey, were sent ashore to communicate with the Captain- 
General. I soon personally followed these officers into the town, going at 
once to the palace of the Governor-General, and there, after a conversation 
with the Spanish authorities, a preliminary agreement of the terms of capitu- 
lation was signed by the Captain-General and myself. This agreement was 
subsequently incorporated into the formal terms of capitulation, as arranged 
by the officers representing the two forces. 

American Flag Unfurled. 

" Immediately after the surrender the Spanish colors on the sea front were 
hauled down and the American flag displayed and saluted by the guns of the 
navy. The Second Oregon regiment, which had proceeded by sea from 
Cavite, was disembarked and entered the walled town as a provost guard, and 
the Colonel was directed to receive the Spanish arms and deposit them in 
places of security. The town was filled with the troops of the enemy driven 
in from the intrenchments, regiments formed and standing in line in the 
streets, but the work of disarming proceeded quietly, and nothing unpleasant 
occurred. 

"In leaving the subject of the operations of the 13th, I desire here to 
record my appreciation of the admirable manner in which the orders for 
attack and the plan for occupation of the city were carried out by the troops 
exactly as contemplated. I submit that for troops to enter under fire a town 
covering a wide area,_to rapidly deploy and guard all principal points in the 
extensive suburbs, to keep out the insurgent forces pressing for admission, to 
quietly disarm an army of Spaniards more than equal in numbers to the 
American troops, and finally by all this to prevent entirely all rapine, pillage 
and disorder and gain entire and complete possession of a city of 300,000 
people, with natives hostile to the European interests and stirred up by the 
knowledge that their own people were fighting in the outside trenches — was 
an act which only the law-abiding, temperate, resolute American soldier, well 
handled by his regimental and brigade commanders, could accomplish. 

" It will be observed that the trophies of Manila were nearly $900,000, 
13,000 prisoners, and 22,O0O arms." 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



353 



General Merritt then details the inauguration of the military government 
of Manila by the Americans. Further he says : 

" On the 1 6th a cablegram containing the text of the President's proclama- 
tion directing a cessation of hostilities was received by me, and at the same 
time an order to make the fact known to the Spanish authorities, which was 
done at once. This resulted in a formal protest from the Governor-General 
in relation to the transfer of public funds then taking place, on the ground that 
the proclamation was dated prior to the surrender. To this I replied that the 
status quo in which we were left with the cessation of hostilities was that 
existing at the time of the receipt by me of the official notice, and that I 
must insist upon the delivery of the funds, which was made under protest. 

" After the issue of my proclamation and the establishment of my office 
as Military Governor, I had direct written communication with General Agui- 
naldo on several occasions. He recognized my authority as Military Governor 
of the town of Manila and suburbs, and made professions of his willingness 
to withdraw his troops to a line which I might indicate, but at the same time 
asking certain favors for himself. The matters in this connection had not 
been settled at the date of my departure. 

" Doubtless much dissatisfaction is felt by the rank and file of the insur- 
gents that they have not been permitted to enjoy the occupancy of Manila, 
and there is some ground for trouble with them, owing to that fact, but not- 
withstanding many rumors to the contrary, I am of the opinion that the leaders 
will be able to prevent serious disturbances, as they are sufficiently intelligent 
and educated to know that to antagonize the United States would be to 
destroy their only chance of future political improvement. 

" I may add that great changes for the better have taken place in Manila 
since the occupancy of the city by the American troops. 




General Anderson's Statement. 

The following extracts are taken from the reports of General Thomas M. 
Anderson, commanding the second division of the Eighth Army Corps, as to 
the operations about Manila : 

" On the 1st day of July I had an interview with the insurgent chief, 
Aguinaldo and learned from him that the Spanish forces had withdrawn, 
driven back by his army, as he claimed, to a line of defense immediately 
around the city and its suburbs. 
23 



354 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



" He estimated the Spanish forces at about 14,000 men and his own at 
about the same number. He did not seem pleased at the incoming of our 
land forces, hoping, as I believe, that he could take the city with his own 
army, with the co-operation of the American fleet." 

General Anderson thus describes the attack on Manila, which was under 
his immediate command, subject to orders from General Merritt, whose head- 
quarters were on a dispatch boat : 

" The fleet opened fire at 9.30 a. m. The first shots fell short ; but the 
range was soon found, and then the fire became evidently effective. I at once 
telegraphed General Mac Arthur to open on blockhouse No. 14 and begin 
his attack. At the same time seven of the guns of the Utah Battery opened 
fire on the enemy's works in front of the Second Brigade, and two guns on 
the right of this brigade opened an oblique fire toward blockhouse No. 14. 

" Riding down to the beach, I saw two of our lighter draft vessels approach 
and open on the Polvorin with rapid-fire guns, and observed at the same time 
some men of the Second Brigade start up the beach. I ordered the First 
California, which was the leading regiment of the reserve, to go forward and 
report to General Greene. Going to the reserve telegraph I received a mes- 
sage from MacArthur that his fire on the blockhouse was effective, but that 
he was enfiladed from the right. 

" I knew from this that he wished to push the insurgents aside and put in 
the Astor Battery. I then authorized him to attack, which he did, and soon 
after the Twenty-third Infantry and the Thirteenth Minnesota carried the ad- 
vance line of the enemy in the most gallant manner, the one gun of the Utah 
Battery and the Astor Battery lending most effective assistance. 

Colorado Men Charge. 

" In the meantime the Colorado Regiment had charged and carried the 
right of the enemy's line, and the Eighteenth Regular Infantry and the Third 
Heavy (regular) Artillery, acting as infantry, had advanced and passed over 
the enemy's works in their front without opposition. The reserve was ordered 
forward to follow the Second Brigade, and a battery of Hotchkiss guns was 
directed to follow the Eighteenth Infantry. 

" Soon the men from Nebraska and Wyoming came on shouting, for the 
white flag could now be seen from the sea front ; yet the firing did not cease, 
and the Spanish soldiers at the front did not seem to be notified of the sur- 
render. In the meantime the reserves had been ordered forward, except one 
regiment, which was ordered to remain in the Second Brigade trenches. The 
seven Utah guns were also ordered to the front, one infantry battalion being 
directed to assist the men of the batteries in hauling the guns by hand. 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



35o 



" The field telegraph wires, extending in a wide circuit to the extreme 
right, for a time gave discouraging reports. The front was contracted, the 
enemy entrenched and the timber thick on both sides of the road. Only two 
regiments could be put on the firing line. The Fourteenth Infantry was brought 
forward, but could not fire a shot. Under these circumstances I telegraphed 
MacArthur to countermarch and come to Malate by way of Greene's in- 
trenchments and the beach This was at 12.25 p - M -> but soon after I learned 
that MacArthur was too far committed to retire. The guns of the Astor 
Battery had been dragged to the front only after the utmost exertions and 
were about being put into the battery. 

"At the same time I received a telegram stating that the insurgents were 
threatening to cross the bamboo bridge on our right, and to prevent this and 
to guard our ammunition at Pasay I ordered an Idaho battalion to that point. 
It was evidently injudicious under these circumstances to withdraw the First 
Brigade, so the order was countermanded and a despatch sent announcing 
our success on the left. 

" In answer, the report came that Singalong had been captured and that 
the brigade was advancing on Paco. At this point it was subsequently met 
by one of my aides and marched down to the Cuartel de Malate by the Cal- 
zada de Paca. I had gone in the meantime to the south bridge of the walled 
city, and learning that the Second Oregon was within the walls, and that 
Colonel Whittier was in conference with the Spanish commandant, I directed 
General Greene to proceed at once with his brigade to the north side of the 
Pasig, retaining only the Wyoming Battalion to remain with me to keep up 
the connection between the two brigades." 

O'Connor's Adventures. 

General Anderson, in describing the remarkable adventures of Captain 
O'Connor of the Twenty-third Infantry, reported: 

"A remarkable incident of the day was the experience of Captain Stephen 
O'Connor of the Twenty-third Infantry. With a detachment of fifteen skirm- 
ishers he separated from his regiment and brigade at blockhouse No. 14, and 
striking a road, probably in the rear of the enemy, marched into the city 
without opposition until he came to the Calle Real in Malate. Along this 
street he had some unimportant street fighting until he came to the Paseo de 
la Calzada, where, learning that negotiations were going on for a surrender, 
he took post at the bridge north of sallyport, and the whole outlying Spanish 
force south of the Pasig passed by this small detachment in hurrying crowds. 
Captain O'Connor deserves recognition for the coolness and bravery he dis« 
played in this remarkable adventure. 



356 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



" The opposition we met in battle was not sufficient to test the bravery 
of our soldiers, but all showed braver}- and dash. The losses show that the 
leading regiments of the First Brigade, Thirteenth Minnesota and Twenty- 
third Infantry, and the Astor Battery met the most serious opposition and 
deserve credit for their success. The Colorado, California and Oregon regi- 
ments, the regulars and all the batteries of the Second Brigade showed such 
zeal that it seems a pity that they did not meet foemen worthy of their steel." 

Mac Arthurs Narrative. 

General Arthur MacArthur, who commanded the First Brigade, Second 
Division, Eighth Corps, in the operations against Manila, in his report on the 
surrender of that city said : 

" Several hours before the operations of the day were intended to com- 
mence there was considerable desultory firing from the Spanish line, both of 
cannon and small arms, provoked no doubt by Filipino soldiers, who insisted 
upon maintaining a general fusilade along their lines. The fire was not 
returned by our troops, and when the formation of the day was commenced 
things at the front were comparatively quiet. 

"' By 8 o'clock the position was occupied, about 9.35 the naval attack 
commenced, and some twenty minutes thereafter the gun of Battery B, Utah 
Artillery, opened on Blockhouse 14, the guns of the Astor Battery having 
engaged an opposing batten* some minutes after the opening of the naval 
attack. There was no reply from the blockhouse or contiguous lines, either 
by guns or small arms. The opposition to the Astor fire, however, was quite 
energetic ; but after a spirited contest the opposition, consisting probably of 
two pieces, was silenced. 

" This contest was the only notable feature of the first stage of the 
action, and was especially creditable to the organization engaged. The posi- 
tion, selected by Lieutenant March, after careful personal reconnoissance, was 
perhaps the only one possible in the vicinity, and it was occupied with great 
skill and held with commendable firmness, the batten,* losing three men 
wounded, one of whom has since died. 

"At about 11.20 a United States flag was placed upon Blockhouse 14, 
thus concluding the second stage of the action without opposition and with- 
out loss. 

14 The general advance was soon resumed. At a point just south of 
Singalong. a blockhouse was found burning, causing a continuous explosion 
of small arms ammunition, which, together with a scattering fire from the 
enemy, retarded the advance for a time. All difficulties were soon overcome, 
however, including the passage of the Astor Batter}', by the determined 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



357 



efforts of Lieutenant March and his men, assisted by the infantry of the Min- 
nesota regiment over the gun emplacement which obstructed the road. 

" In the village of Singalong the advance fell under a loose fire, the 
intensity of which increased as the forward movement was pressed, and very 
soon the command was committed to a fierce combat. This strong opposi- 
tion arose at Blockhouse 20, of the Spanish defenses. 

Minnesota Men in Advance. 

" The advance party, consisting of men of the Minnesota regiment, rein- 
forced by the volunteers from the Astor Battery, led by Lieutenant March 
and Captain Sawtelle, of the brigade staff, as an individual volunteer, reached 
a point within less than eighty yards of the blockhouse, but was obliged to 
retire to the intersecting road in the village, at which point a hasty work was 
improvised and occupied by a firing line of about fifteen men. Aside from 
conspicuous individual actions in the first rush, the well-regulated conduct of 
this firing line was the marked feature of the contest, and it is proposed, if 
possible, to ascertain the names of the men engaged with a view to recom- 
mend them for special distinction. 

" At about 1.30 p.m. all firing had ceased, and two scouting parties volun- 
tarily led by Captain Sawtelle and Lieutenant March, soon thereafter reported 
the retreat of the adversary. The city was entered without further incident " 

In his report, Major General F. V. Greene, who commanded the Second 
Brigade, describes in detail the part performed by his command in the battles 
about Manila, recapitulating in the following : 

"This brigade reached Manila Bay July 17th; landed and established 
camp July I9th-2ist; was attacked by the Spaniards July 31st, August 1st, 
August 2d, and August 5th; led the advance in the attack and capture of 
Manila, August 13th. Our losses were sixteen killed and sixty-six wounded. 
It is impossible to give any accurate figure of the losses of the Spaniards, but 
it is probably safe to say that their losses from August 1st to 13th were at 
least forty killed and 100 wounded. 

" The manner in which the troops performed their duties, whether fight- 
ing, working in the trenches or sitting still under fire, with strict orders not 
to return it, is worthy of the very highest praise." 

General Greene's brigade consisted of the First Colorado, First Nebraska 
and Tenth Pennsylvania, and the First and Battalions of the Eighteenth In- 
fantry ; Batteries A and B, of the Utah Artillery ; a detachment of Company 
A, Engineer Battalion; First California, First and Third Battalions, Third Ar- 
tillery; Company A, Engineer Battalion. 

Rev. Joseph L. Hunter, Chaplain of the Tenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 



358 



SURRENDER OF MANILA. 



in a letter to a friend gives an interesting picture of life in the Philippines 
since the fall of Manila. He writes : 

" Since we left Mt. Gretna for the Philippines we have lost our regimental 
number and have throughout been known and honored as the ' Pennsylvania 
boys,' and all classes unite in the effort to make it pleasant for the Keystone 
State soldiers. While we have thus been the recipients of the favors that 
belong to the State, we have tried to merit them and reflect honor on our 
State. 

" We have met Pennsylvanians everywhere, and we think at least ioo,- 
000,000 people have told us that they or their parents or grandparents lived 
in or passed through Pennsylvania at some time in their lives. These all 
know us and want to know us, and we want to know them. When we go 
back to Pennsylvania, as we hope and pray we soon may, many will appre- 
ciate it as they never did before, and they will settle down and end their days 
in some part of our grand old Commonwealth. We are fond of Philadelphia, 
because we have met the most genial people from Philadelphia everywhere. 

" But I must tell you about ourselves. At present the Tenth Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers' headquarters are in the municipal building, Parque de Bom- 
berus, Santa Cruz, District of New Manila. Companies B and K are also 
here. Companies D and E are 100 yards north, at a bank on the Escolta. 
Major Bierer and the others are at the Presidio, guarding the prison. They 
have over 2,000 prisoners for various crimes. Yesterday 152 were released 
by the United States investigating officers, and you cannot imagine how they 
made the air ring with their ' Viva Americanos ! ' They were political pri- 
soners, and some of them were in for life. 

" The United States cannot keep men in prison who tried to gain their 
country's liberty. The St. Paul arrived yesterday with more troops and 
much mail. The free copies of your paper sent us have been a great boon to 
all of us. Nearly all are out of money, and even if we had it we could not 
very well send for papers, as we were unable to pay for them. Pay day will 
be here soon. 

" The pay rolls are all ready now, and as soon as we get our pay we are 
ready to go home ; but the transports are being sent home and we are now 
resigned to a two months' sojourn here at least— we will be glad to get away 
then." 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Chief Government Detective's Story of the Spies of Spain 
and How they Were Captured. 

N May 26th Lieutenant Ramon Carranza wrote from Montreal to a 
friend : " We have had bad luck, for they have captured the two 
best spies, one in Washington — who hung himself or whom they 
hung — and the other, day before yesterday in Tampa. There is 
extraordinary vigilance on the part of the Americans." 

Carranza directed the operations of the Spanish spies from Montreal, 
until ordered out of Canada by the English government, and his tribute to the 
American Secret Service was deserved. The important work of these Ameri- 
can agents is best told by John Elbrot Wilkie, chief of the Secret Service, 
who himself prepared the following article : 

" It is hardly necessary to say that such a tribute to the efficiency of the 
American Secret Service from a judge so well informed as the former naval 
attache of the late Spanish Legation was highly gratifying to those of us who 
had been lying awake nights trying to make trouble for the Spanish agents. 
But as our activity was simply a reflex action, due to the tireless energy of 
the zealous subjects of the boy king, Lieutenant Carranza will have to bear 
part of the responsibility for the watchfulness which he so gracefully com- 
pliments. 

" As the mysterious is always attractive, and as much secrecy necessarily 
was observed in the operations of this branch of the government service, curi- 
osity concerning its work has been generally manifested. There are, however, 
many matters associated with its administration which cannot properly be 
made the subject of publication. 

" Possibly the very thing about which one wishes most to know may not 
be touched upon in this paper. If so, it is doubtless because that particular 
thing is one about which the writer may not write. 

" When it became apparent that a conflict with Spain was inevitable steps 
were taken, under the advice of Secretary Gage and Assistant Secretary Van- 
derlip, to organize an auxiliary force of the Secret Service division of the 
Treasury Department. This was necessary because the regular force of that 
branch of the government is maintained by an appropriation which may be 
drawn upon only for the expenses incurred in the suppression of counterfeit- 
ing. As soon as the defence fund became available, the President made a pre- 
liminary allotment of $5,000 for our use, and some weeks later increased this 

359 



360 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



by $50,000, which, it was estimated, would be sufficient to maintain the force 
for several months. 

" The publication of the fact that there had been a special allotment for 
an addition to the secret service made it wholly unnecessary to advertise for 
men. The applications during the first thirty days exceeded a thousand, and 
the pressure for appointment became embarrassing ; but the peculiar nature of 
the work the men would have to do made it essential that they should be 
thoroughly familiar with Spanish. This quickly disposed of more than ninety 
per cent, of the applicants, and of the remainder there were few who possessed 
the other qualifications — detective experience, rugged health, strength, cour- 
age and enthusiasm 

There's No Money In It 

" It is morally certain that when the force was completed there was not a 
man among them who was there for what there was 1 in it,' the pay being four 
dollars a day and traveling and living expenses, the latter being limited to 
three dollars a day. With one exception they were under forty years of age. 
All of them fairly bubbled over with loyalty, were determined to make a 
record, and were prepared for any emergency that might arise. 

" It may surprise a great many persons to know that the auxilliary force 
of the Secret Service during the war was smaller than the local staff of a large 
metropolitan newspaper; but as the men were unusually intelligent and re- 
liable, it was possible to satisfactorily cover the country with a comparatively 
small number of operatives. 

" Thanks to a patriotic public, the division was early supplied with much 
information relating to suspicious strangers. A realization of the danger to 
the country from these internal enemies placed every one on the alert, and 
letters fairly poured into the office. Most of them were founded on trivial 
suspicion, but more than a thousand of the 'suspects 5 reported by mail were 
investigated. The greater number of these were found to be persons who 
were injudicious in expressing sentiments not entirely loyal, but only when 
they went so far as to threaten what they would do if they had an opportunity 
were they warned that they were simply making trouble for themselves. 

" When it was possible the men were kept at headquarters in Washington 
for some time before being assigned to independent work outside, and as the 
capital was a prolific field for mysterious foreigners, there was an excellent 
opportunity to test the ability of the agents in various ways, especially in the 
important matter of ' shadowing,' a fine art in itself. They were also enabled 
to obtain a general idea of their duties, but such an arrangement was not 
always convenient. 

" However it is pleasant to record but one failure. In that particular case 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



361 



I was unable to foresee the exact conditions under which the agent would 
have to work, and explicit advance instructions were impracticable. The man 
was unable to grasp the situation when he reached his station, and had to be 
replaced. 

In Touch with Washington. 

" Each operative was provided with a cipher code for telegraphic pur- 
poses, and when his territory had been assigned was expected to keep in 
constant touch with Washington. In my private office at headquarters I had 
a large map of the United States, mounted in a flat cabinet, and by means of 
small numbered flags attached to steel pins was able to locate every man on 
the force at a glance. 

" Montreal, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Newport 
News, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Key West, Mobile, New Orleans, 
Galveston, San Francisco and the army camps were the principal points of 
activity. 

u Tampa was a particularly lively district, for in addition to the Secret 
Service men in the field there a branch of the Military Information Bureau, 
under the jurisdiction of the War Department, was maintained, and during 
the latter part of the war was useful in looking after thefts of army stores, 
deserters and military offenders of all classes. Montreal was a good second 
in the matter of activity, though there were times when Washington led 
them all. 

" Occasionally, when the pressure was particularly heavy, it became 
necessary to detail the regular members of the division to run out certain 
lines of investigation, their expenses at such times being defrayed from the 
defence fund. Of the thousand or more ' suspects ' something over six hun- 
dred men and women were at one time or another under close surveillance for 
varying periods, among them professors, diplomats, doctors, merchants, cigar- 
makers, mariners, electrical experts, government employees of foreign birth and 
uncertain antecedents, capitalists, milliners, dressmakers, society women and 
servants. Every man in the service was required to make a detailed daily 
report covering his operations, and there were revealed a great many interest- 
ing things that had nothing whatever to do with the Spanish- American war. 

" Most of the applications for appointment, which came from every State 
in the Union, and from England, Canada and Mexico as well, bore evidences 
of having been written by intelligent men, actuated by a loyal ambition to 
serve their country. About half of them were addressed to the War Depart- 
ment, but there being no Secret Service in that branch of the government 
they were referred to the Treasury Department for consideration. 

" Many of the writers confessed to an absolute ignorance of detective 



362 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



work, and apparently overlooked the fact that we were dealing with a foe 
whose language was not our own ; but among the hundreds and hundreds of 
letters there were many whose authors were even more at sea as to the general 
qualifications necessary for the work. 

" One man advanced the statement that he had been married four times — 
possibly to emphasize the fact that his courage was beyond question. Another 
pointed out that, being the fortunate possessor of ' Spanish whiskers/ he 
could work among the enemy with absolute safely. As an example of the 
queer applications received the following is a gem well worth quoting : 

" ' i wood be glad to render my servises to the guvernment at aney time 
or in aeny capassity that i might be abel to do i am a man 42 years of age 
and traveled quite a grate deal and at the present travel and get in with all 
classes of peopel my occupation is sharpening saws for butchers or aney 
body else that has them to so i get amung all classes of peopel i usue 2 lan- 
gwages german and the american or english spoken langwage as for writeing 
you can see for yurself.' 

"The early establishment of a 'crank ' box was a necessity, hardly a day 
passing without a letter or two from some irresponsible visionary or out and 
out lunatic. There were stacks of anonymous communications threatening 
death and destruction to every one connected with the ' unholy ' war, and 
scores of suggestions from demented persons who had ' inspired' plans for 
the annihilation of all Spanish emissaries. Then there was a class of cranks 
with hallucinations that they were being dogged by Spanish spies and in 
danger of assassination, while others had overheard plots to blow up the 
President and public buildings. 

Cranks were Numerous. 

" Where such letters were signed and it was possible to locate the writers 
the matter was always investigated, but in no instance was the author found 
to be a responsible person. Not all the cranks stopped at writing to the de- 
partment. Many of them called at the office and were led gently away, 
and introduced to the guards at the doors of the Treasury Building and there- 
after refused admittance. One enterprising woman succeeded in getting in 
to see me, however, with a unique scheme to ascertain the identity of the 
leading Spanish agents in this country. 

" ' This is my plan,' she said enthusiastically, after introducing herself. 
'As soon as you engage my services I shall go to New York and look about 
among the theatres until I find where the most patriotic audiences gather. 
Then at one of the evening performances, when they are all cheering for the 
United States, I shall stand up in my seat and cry, 'Spain forever! Hurrah 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



363 



for Alphonso ! ' Of course I shall be arrested, and the matter will get into the 
papers, and I will be visited by the friends of Spain, who will be convinced 
that I am a sympathizer. So, gradually, I shall be able to worm my way into 
their confidence until I shall have gained all their secrets. Now won't that 
be lovely?' 

" The chances being that if she tried it the audience might not leave 
enough of her to sympathize with, and as she looked as if her children might 
need attention, she was advised to go home. She departed reluctantly, 
thoroughly convinced that the government was making a fatal mistake in 
declining her services. 

" When the ' emergency men,' as the temporary employes of the division 
were termed, were instructed in the use of the cipher code they were told that 
in communicating with headquarters they should use, instead of my name, 
'John Ehlen/ which I had registered with the telegraph companies. This 
was simply a precautionary measure intended to protect the operatives by 
eliminating the chance that some one might discover the message was for the 
Secret Service, identify the sender as a member of the division, and destroy 
his usefulness in that particular locality, if nothing worse. 

An Intercepted Telegram. 

" Out of this arrangement grew a curious incident. In the latter part of 
May a young Western newspaper correspondent, stationed in Washington, 
sent in his card, asking to see me on important and confidential business. 
When admitted, he explained that a telegraph operator, whom he had known 
for years in the West, and who had been transferred to the capital, had inter- 
cepted a cipher message from Montreal the night before, and believed it was 
from the Spanish headquarters to an agent here. 

" We were particularly interested in the Spanish messages at that time, 
having possession of a cipher that was being used in some of their corres- 
pondence, and the newspaper man, knowing this, had suggested to his friend 
the operator that the suspected communication be submitted to our office. 

" He had tried to translate it, but was unable to succeed, and he wondered 
if we would have better luck. The copy of the mysterious message, which he 
then produced and placed before me on the desk, was addressed to my alias, 
the original, from one of my men, being in a drawer at my side. Under the 
circumstances I felt moderately certain that we could get at its meaning, but 
without explaining to the correspondent, I told him that if we did succeed in 
deciphering it, and the contents were of such a character as to permit of their 
publication, he should have a ' scoop ' on it. This satisfied him and he went 
away. 



364 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



" A little later I called up the telegraph company and asked that the 
operator in question should be sent to the office for a moment. In a few 
minutes he was ushered in — a young, bright-faced fellow, with plenty of color 
in his cheeks, and an air of suppressed excitement. I only guessed that he 
felt his discovery had been of value to the Government, and he was to be 
rewarded in some way. In reply to my interview, he detailed how he had 
received the message, and how, when it occurred to him that it might be from 
one Spanish agent to another, he had surreptitiously obtained a copy of it. 
The fact that it bore no local address had made it doubly suspicious, as it 
indicated that it was to be called for. 

An Awkward Interview. 

" * Didn't it occur to you to see if the person to whom it was addressed 
was registered in the office with delivery directions ? 9 
" ' No, sir.' 

"'Well, if you had consulted your company's books you would have 
discovered that I am ' John Ehlen,' and that this is a Government message.' 

" The poor fellow's face was a study when he realized that he had held 
out an official telegram and had turned it over to a newspaper man. He 
appreciated the gravity of the offence in violating his oath as an operator, and 
felt that his position was as good as gone, under circumstances that would 
make it impossible for him to obtain employment with any company. He 
said nothing, but his eyes filled with tears. 

" ' Have you a family ? ' 

" ' No, sir, but I am supporting my old father and mother.' 

" ' Your motive was the best in the world,' I said, finally, 1 but your 
methods are open to criticism. Now, nothing shall be said to the company 
about this, but if in the future you catch any mysterious messages, just bring 
them straight to me without intrusting them to any outsider. If your news- 
paper friend had succeeded in translating this message, it might have been 
awkward for all of us.' 

u This was quite true, for the message in question detailed briefly, but 
completely, the capture of the Carranza letter. He gave me a grateful pres- 
sure of the hand, and the incident was closed. You see, we often run very 
near the danger line. 

" Apropos of ciphers, there were several employed by the Spanish. 
There was a ' figure ' cipher, which we were unable to translate, and there 
was another whose mystery we solved. This was rather ingenious, and as 
simple as it was clever. The day of the month on which the communication 
was written was the key. For instance, if the letter was dated on the 6th, 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



365 



the sixth letter of the alphabet, 'f/ was used in place of ' a,' ' g,' instead of ' b,' 
and so on. This gave a change for every day in the month. 

"Among the letters seized on the steamer Panama we found several in 
which, after completing what looked like an ordinary, commonplace letter, the 
author had written the secret information between the lines in sympathetic 
ink, which developed only on being subjected to a temperature almost high 
enough to scorch the paper. There were a number of these from Mexico to 
suspected individuals in New Orleans, relating to the purchase of supplies to 
be shipped to the open ports of Cuba, and up to the time that the blockade 
was extended to include th^ whole island there was a large and constant 
movement of supplies from this country to Vera Cruz. 

" Some of the most delicate and interesting work of the department was 
that involving the ' testing ' of suspects. Given a clever operative, who could 
speak Spanish like a native, and the right opportunity, it was moderately cer- 
tain that within a comparatively short time the subject of the investigation 
could be induced to declare himself. There were a few cases, however, where 
the conditions were peculiar and the accomplishment of the task decidedly 
difficult. 

u One of these, with a touch of comedy in it, was that of a certain Ger- 
man doctor in an Eastern city, whose social position was of the highest and 
whose reputation was the best. Several letters had been received warning 
us that the doctor was a most dangerous spy. He was not naturalized, and 
before hostilities broke out had been an avowed friend of Spain. It was 
stated that last year he had gone abroad, ostensibly to visit Germany, but that 
as a matter of fact he had gone to Austria, and afterward to Spain, and now 
was certainly acting as an agent for the enemy. 

Investigating the Doctor. 

"After sending to several of the writers of the warning letters and estab- 
lishing the fact that they were reputable and responsible persons, arrangements 
were made for a careful watch upon the doctor. His associations were found 
to include no suspicious individuals, his actions were rational, and he seemed 
to be behaving himself like an ordinary mortal. The facts against him were 
that he was an outspoken advocate of Spain, writing and speaking in her 
behalf, openly denouncing this country for its part in the conflict, and express- 
ing the hope that victory might rest with the Spanish arms. 

" Yet this was in a sense in his favor, for it seemed more than likely a 
secret agent would cloak his operations under a pretended friendship for this 
country. But he was an influential man, with many acquaintances in govern- 
mental positions, and if the charges were well founded would be a dangerous 



366 THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



enemy, because he was so situated as to easily obtain very important informa- 
tion. It was therefore extremely desirable to fix his exact status. The ques- 
tion was whether he was doing more than employing mere moral force in 
behalf of Spain. Any one could obtain his friendly view of the Dons for the 
asking, but if he was engaged on a secret mission it would require exceedingly 
delicate work to ascertain the truth. 

" It chanced that the first week in May I had made a short trip to the West^ 
and on the ' limited ' formed the acquaintance of a foreign gentleman, an Aus- 
trian, en route to Mexico. He had given me his card, a very formidable black 

bordered affair, identifying him as Count L , of Vienna, an officer of the 

Society of Jesus. I had kept the pasteboard, and one day, while the case of 
the German doctor was under consideration, a glance at it in my desk sug- 
gested a plan which was soon given a trial. 

" I assigned to the work an operative speaking all the Continental 
languages, thoroughly familiar with Austria, Germany and Spain, and other- 
wise especially well equipped for the task before him. He called upon the 
Doctor, addressed him in German, begged a private interview, and then con- 
fided to him that he was anxious to do something for Spain. He alluded 
touchingly to the natural sympathy for his beautiful countrywoman, who was 

being so sorely tried. He had met Count L , who was here on a political 

mission, and had spoken to him of his desire. 

A Bit of Strategy. 

" The Count had told him of the great friendship of Austria for Spain, 
and had advised him that if he wished to serve her he could not do better than 
call upon the famous Doctor X., who was in a position to instruct him ; be- 
cause, as the Count had intimated to him in the strictest confidence, the Doctor 
was doing a little quiet secret work for Spain. The Count had written the 
doctor's name and address on one of his own cards. Here it was. Now 
would the good Doctor tell him how he could serve poor Spain ? No mission 
would be too dangerous for him to undertake. 

" The Doctor was much agitated during his visitor's recital, which was 
carried on in a cautious whisper, and when it was finished was silent for a 
time. Finally he said that though he felt honored at the confidence displayed 
in his discretion, and would be glad to advise his friend, he himself dared do 
no more than write and speak for the down-trodden nation. 

"We were satisfied from the result of the test that the Doctor was not a 
spy, and thereafter disregarded the warnings concerning him. A curious 
sequel to the agent's call was that a few days later the Austrian Minister was 
obliged to deny a foolish story to the effect that his government was pre- 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



367 



paring to make a friendly demonstration in behalf of Spain. I fancy the 
origin of the rumor might have been traced to my friend the Doctor, who 
over-estimated the Austrian Count's revelation to the nervous man who was 
so anxious to do something for an unhappy people. 

st Strangely enough, the two best spies to whom Lieutenant Carranza 
refers in his more or less famous letter to his uncle were not Spaniards. 
Both were of English birth, and neither even spoke Spanish. Both are dead 
— one destroyed himself in prison and the other fell a victim to deadly ty- 
phoid while incarcerated in Fort McPherson. 

" The circumstances leading up to the arrest of these men are interesting 
in that they illustrate two widely different phases of the work of the agents 
of the emergency forces of the Federal secret service. 

Shadowing the Former Minister. 

" One of the first men employed in the special investigation was a young 
New Yorker of fine family and excellent social position. A long residence 
abroad had given him a fluent command of modern languages. He was the 
possessor of much natural shrewdness, and his courage was unquestioned. 
He was sent to Toronto immediately after the departure of Senor Polo y Bar- 
nabe from Washington, with instructions to keep headquarters advised of 
the movements of the former Minister's party, to look carefully after those 
who might connect with them in any way, and to do both without arousing 
suspicion. 

" He was fortunate in securing a room adjoining that occupied by Lieu- 
tenant Carranza, and as there was a connecting door, against which the head 
of his bed was placed, he was beautifully situated for his purpose. Early on 
the morning of Friday, May 6th, an earnest conversation, this time in English, 
was being carried on in the Lieutenant's room. It lasted for an hour or 
more. The Lieutenant's visitor showed an intimate knowledge of the Ame- 
rican navy and referred to his own services on the Brooklyn. 

" Carranza first satisfied himself that the man knew what he was talking 
about, and then arranged for him to go to Washington, where he was to se- 
cure certain information and forward it to Montreal, for which point the 
former Minister was to leave that afternoon. Instructions were given in the 
use of the code for telegraphing, and there was much further talk in a tone 
too low to be understood; but the stranger was finally heard to say, "Then 
I am to write to this address in Montreal.' 

" Carranza assented, and our agent, believing the visit was at an end, 
opened the door and stepped into the hall. He had timed his movements 
well, for Carranza was just bidding his visitor farewell. Together the secret 



368 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



service man and the stranger walked through the hall, the former asking a 
light for his cigarette as they passed down the stairway. At the door they 
separated. The suspect was shadowed to an obscure hotel, where it was 
ascertained that he had registered as ' Alexander Cree ' and that he was to 
leave the city that evening. 

" That afternoon the following telegram in cipher was delivered to me : 
" 1 Young Southerner, Alexander Cree, of Hillsboro, I think, leaves for 
Washington to-night. My height and build, dark, small mustache, black soft 
felt hat, black sack coat, black sailor tie, somewhat shabby, evidently served 
on Brooklyn ; has intimate knowledge of naval matters. Just had long inter- 
view with naval attache. He is to write to Montreal, 

Every Movement Watched. 

" The next morning arrangements were made to ' cover ' incoming trains 
in Washington, and by the aid of the description our man was picked out of 
the crowd at the Baltimore and Ohio depot with as much ease as if we had 
been furnished his photograph. From the moment of his arrival every move- 
ment was watched. He was evidently familiar with the city, for he asked no 
questions in going about. One of his trips included a call at the Navy 
Department, after which he returned to his boarding house, No. 916 E street, 
N. W., where he remained for -an hour or so, going thence to the post office, 
where he mailed a letter. This was promptly secured and taken to head- 
quarters. It bore the address ' Frederick W. Dickson, Esq., 1248 Dorchester 
street, Montreal,' and was as follows : 

"'Washington, Saturday, May 7, 1898. 
"'A cipher message has been sent off from the Navy Department to San 
Francisco, directing the cruiser Charleston to proceed to Manila with five 
hundred men and machinery for repairs for Dewey. A long cipher has been 
received from Dewey at department at 3.30 p.m. They are translating it now. 
Cannot find it out yet. Have heard important news respecting movements 
of colliers and cruiser Newark at Norfolk Navy Yard, also about the new 
Holland boat, as to what they intend to do with her, and her destination. I 
shall go to Norfolk soon to find important news. My address will be Norfolk 
House, Norfolk, Va., but shall not go until Tuesday. 

" ' Respectfully yours, 

" ' G. D., in haste." 

"This fully confirmed the suspicion that he was a hired spy, and war- 
ranted immediate action. As this offence was a military one I laid the fact 
before the Assistant Secretary of War and the Judge Advocate General, with 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



369 



the result that a military arrest was decided upon. Captain Sage, of the 
Eighth artillery, with a corporal and one man, was ordered to report to me at 
the Treasury Building, and at eleven o'clock that night we arrested the sus- 
pected man in his room. 

" We rather anticipated a lively time, but much to my surprise he wilted 
completely when I placed him under arrest and he was led away without 
resistance. 

" A search of the apartment resulted in the seizure of partly finished 
letters to the same address in Montreal, and documents establishing the 
identity of the prisoner as George Downing, naturalized citizen and formerly 
yeoman of the cruiser Brooklyn. In one corner of a bureau drawer, other- 
wise empty, I found a scrap of letter paper, upon one side of which was the 
address in Dorchester street, and on the other these words : — ' Slater's Code. 
To send add 100 ; to receive subtract 100. 

Collecting the Evidence. 

" This was the key to the cipher he was to employ, the system being one 
in which thousands of ordinary words arranged alphabetically have fixed con- 
secutive numbers of five figures each. In preparing a telegram under the 
cipher indicated on the slip, the desired word having been found on the list, 
one hundred would have been added to its corresponding number, and the 
word opposite the higher number thus obtained would have been used in the 
cipher message. In translating the cipher, after ascertaining the number 
associated with the word on the message, the subtraction of a hundred would 
disclose the figures opposite which would be the real word desired. 

" The evidence secured in Downing's room, considered in connection 
with the consultation with Carranza and the letter mailed to Montreal, would 
have been sufficient to insure conviction, and the prisoner evidently appre- 
ciated the fact, for two days later he hanged himself in his cell, at the barracks. 

It may be added that the; Dorchester street house had been rented fur- 
nished by a Spanish agent the day before Senor Polo left Toronto, but it was 
soon after given up. 

" The operations of the Spanish agents in Canada were materially aided by 
a private detective agency of the Dominion, through which an attempt was 
made to carry out an extensive and rather ingenious scheme for the collection 
of information about our forces. Young men who had had experience in the 
Canadian or English military organizations were to proceed to various points 
and there enlist in the American army, San Francisco and Tampa being 
selected as the advantageous points from which to operate. The spies were 
quietly to collect all the facts as to troops, guns and so on, to proceed with the 
24 



370 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



army of invasion to Manila or Cuba, as the case might be, and upon reaching 
the foreign port were to escape at the first opportunity and deliver them- 
selves into the hands of the Spaniards. 

" Each was to be provided with a plain ring, of gold or silver, upon the 
inner circumference of which were engraved the words ' Confienza Augustina/ 
and this token was to be sent by a messenger to the commanding officer as 
soon as possible after reaching the Spanish lines. The general, or whoever 
received the ring, having been instructed that these would be sent by spies in 
their service, would summon him and hear his report. He would then be 
permitted to make his way back to the American lines to establish such other 
means of communication as might suggest themselves. 

Experience of Two Englishmen. 

" The first of these agents to be secured was a young Englishman in 
Montreal, whose name might have been Atkins. He was down on his luck, 
out of work and desperate. He was treated liberally with liquor, and the 
scheme unfolded to him at the office of the detective agency when he was in 
a properly receptive mood, and where he was accompanied by another young 
Englishman, Frederick Elmhurst, who had just served his time in one of the 
Canadian batteries, and who was also willing to go into the plot. 

" The following day they were taken to the London House, in Montreal 
and there met Lieutenant Carranza, who, after looking them over, asked if 
they understood what they were to do and were willing to undertake the 
mission. Both agreed to the proposition. They then separated, and Atkins, 
was to go to San Francisco, was given $100 with which to pay his transpor- 
tation, provide himself with the ring and have something left over for emer- 
gencies. He bought his ticket, but fortunately waited until he was sober 
before packing up. When his brain had sufficiently cleared to enable him to 
realize what he was doing he decided to wait awhile. 

° In the course of a few days he hunted up his old colonel, made a clean 
breast of the whole matter, and was advised to have nothing to do with it. 
Then he called on a former employer in Montreal and told him of the propo- 
sition and of his determination to fight shy of it, adding that he was 'an 

Englishman and he'd be blowed if he'd fight against white men for any 

foreigner.' 

"One of the Spanish-Canadian private detectives, meeting Atkins some 
time later, decoyed him to a cheap hotel, where he beat and threatened to kill 
him, and the victim, fearing further violence, left the country in a cattle 
steamer bound for Liverpool. His Montreal friend who was an American, 
having redeemed the unused railroad ticket and taken possession of the ring, 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



371 



reported the matter to the United States consuls, who forwarded the informa- 
tion to Washington. 

"Just before this information reached us one of our men at Tampa found 
that a man known as Miller had attempted to enlist there, but had been 
refused, as no more men were being taken at that time. Miller was stopping 
at the Almeria Hotel, and it was soon learned that he was in telegraphic 
communication with Montreal. Tuesday, May 24, the following message 
was intercepted by the military censor : 

" ' Cannot telegraph money to-day. Move from where you are and tele- 
graph from some other town. Write fully re stocks at once. Will wire 
money and instructions on receipt. Siddall.' 

" This being considered sufficiently suggestive to warrant his detention, 
he was taken in by our agents. Papers in his possession included a declara- 
tion of intention, from which it appeared that his correct name was Frank 
Arthur Mellor, and that he came from Kingston, Ontario. Other messages 
on his person were not satisfactorily explained, and he could not tell what was 
meant by the order to move to another town and ' write fully re stocks.' 

u Suspicion became a certainty on the Sunday following his arrest, when 
I received the Carranza letter, captured in Montreal, and found the reference 
to the second of the best spies who had been arrested ' day before yesterday 
in Tampa ' The Carranza letter was written Thursday, May 26, and the date 
referred to would therefore have been Tuesday, when Mellor was taken into 
custody. However, as it would have been hardly fair to prosecute Mellor on 
the Lieutenant's unsupported statement, copies of telegrams, with other 
information obtained from Tampa, were forwarded, and the agents at Mon- 
treal were set at work confirming the Canadian end of the conspiracy. 

The Death of Mellor. 

" It was soon established that Mellor had been intimately associated with 
the Spanish-Canadian detective agency, and was the man who approached 
Atkins on behalf of the firm to go into the scheme of enlisting and carrying 
information to the enemy. Siddall, whose name was signed to the message, 
was found to be a barkeeper in a Montreal dive, and, through a woman had 
been induced to loan his name to the detectives. Atkins was brought back 
to this country, and in a sworn statement fully corroborated the mass of evi- 
dence already in our hands. 

" In the meantime Mellor, who had been sent to Fort McPherson, had 
been visited by a Montreal attorney, who had been seen in close consultation 
with the private detectives, and Siddall acknowledged that he had given this 
attorney an order on the telegraph company for copies of the original mes- 



372 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



sages sent from Canada. In various other ways the connection between the 
Spanish headquarters in Montreal and Mellor had been established, and the 
evidence was in the possession of the Judge Advocate General, who had the 
charges prepared when the protocol was signed. 

" Had Mellor lived it is quite likely that peace would have given him his 
liberty, but typhoid claimed him about ten days after the cessation of hos- 
tilities. Frederick Elmhurst, the Canadian who had succeeded in enlisting 
at Tampa, was arrested and held at Fort McPherson until some days later, 
when he was sent North and released. 

" It was generally believed that when Senor Polo's party lingered in 
Canada it was the intention to establish an information bureau, and one of the 
principal tasks of the division was the breaking up of that institution. While 
many facts ascertained by the agents of the American secret service made it 
certain beyond question that a regular system of espionage was being con- 
ducted on neutral territory, there was not enough on which to approach Great 
Britain with a request for the expulsion of the offenders, and we were anxious 
to obtain something conclusive upon which action could be based. The men 
in Montreal were particularly alert for the right sort of evidence, and never 
left the Spanish combination alone for a moment. 

Detective's Trick. 

" When the former Minister returned to Spain, Lieutenant Carranza and 
Senor du Bosc rented a furnished house at No. 42 Tupper street. They took 
it for two months only, and having ascertained this fact, one of our men 
secured a card from the real estate agent, requesting that the tenant kindly 
permit the bearer to see the house. A party of three was then made up, 
including a lady, and about eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Saturday, May 
28, they called, were admitted by the maid and shown slowly through the 
various apartments. 

" Carranza and Du Bosc were at breakfast in the lower part of the house, 
'ind as the visitors passed through the sleeping room of the former one of the 
men saw an official looking letter, stamped and ready for the mail, lying upon 
a dresser. The lady and one of her companions moved out toward the hall 
with the servant, while the third member of the party slipped the letter into 
his pocket. In the lower hall, just before they left, the postman passed in 
three large letters, and these would have also been in our possession in 
a moment but for the sudden appearance rf the maid, who took charge of 
them. 

" As quickly as possible after leaving the house the letter was enclosed 
in another envelope, bearing both American and Canadian stamps, and was 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



373 



intrusted to an American locomotive engineer about to start upon his run, 
and who was instructed to take it as far as Burlington, Vt., and then mail it. 
He carried out his share of the work perfectly, the letter coming through all 
right and being delivered to me late Sunday night. 

" Immediately after leaving the Tupper street place one man and the 
woman left for Toronto and the other operative went out into the suburbs to 
look after another suspect. The excitement in the vicinity of the Spanish 
headquarters when the loss was discovered may well be imagined. Carranza 
knew what damaging admissions he had made, and if, as he feared, the Ameri- 
can Government had his letter, his usefulness to his own was practically 
ended. He first denied that the letter was of any special value, and when a 
translation was printed claimed that certain of the published statements were 
not in his letter, asserting that interpolations had been made and whole sen- 
tences wrongly translated. 

" He secured the arrest of a Montreal private detective, whom he 
charged with the abstraction of the letter, but as the prisoner looked about 
as much like the man who really got it as young Sothern does like Buffalo 
Bill, the case fell through. The public is familiar with the legal proceedings 
that followed when the detective tried to recover damages for false arrest, and 
the subsequent action of the British and Dominion Governments in dismissing 
the Spanish agents is well known. It is only necessary to say that the letter 
gave the finishing stroke to the Spanish spy service in America." 

Rowan's Brilliant Scouting. 

Lieutenant Alexander S. Rowan was sent by the United States Secret 
Service Bureau early in April to carry plans of the United States military 
operations in Cuba to General Calixto Garcia, of the insurgent army. He also 
carried instructions for the junction of the forces of Gomez and Garcia with 
the United States army of invasion. 

Lieutenant Rowan was graduated from West Point in 1877, and after sev- 
eral years of service in the West was assigned to the Secret Service Bureau. 
He left Jamaica on April 9th, arrived in Kingston on April 15th and departed 
from Stann's Bay on April 24th, in a sailing vessel, bound for Cuba. It is 
reported that he landed and succeeded in reaching the insurgent camp. 

He reached Tampa on the steamer Mascotte in the middle of May and 
breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction at being safely back from the perils 
of his visit to the insurgent camp of General Calixto Garcia, in the Province 
of Santiago. 

" I can assure you I am glad to be back in civilization and on American 
territory," he said. " I left Washington about a month ago on a mission of 



374 



THE SPIES OF SPAIN. 



secrecy to the camp of General Garcia. I went to Bermuda, and from there 
to Cuba, where I made my way to General Garcia's headquarters under the 
guidance of several Cubans. You will, of course, understand that I am not 
permitted to reveal the object or results of my visit to the camp of the Cuban 
leader further than to say that it related to the contemplated junction of his 
forces with those of the United States when the invasion of Cuba is made '* 

In an Open Boat. 

Additional details of Lieutenant Rowan's visit to General Garcia were 
given by Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Hernandez, aide to General Enrique 
Collazo, both of whom accompanied the intrepid American officer from the 
interior of Cuba to the sea coast, and who shared with him the dangers of the 
four days' journey in an open boat from the coast to Nassau, Jamaica. 

" Lieutenant Rowan has seen more of the island of Cuba in a shorter 
time, and endured more hardships, than any other American," said Colonel 
Hernandez. " From where Lieutenant Rowan landed, on April 29th last, 
near Port Portillo, on the south coast of Santiago de Cuba, to where he left 
on the north coast, is across the widest part of the island. With a guard of 
only four men he pushed through, part of the way on foot, and through one 
of the wildest parts of the island. 

" With hardly a stop for rest, he reached Bayamo on May 1st, where he 
met General Garcia. Five hours afterward we started for the north coast. 
Lieutenant Rowan did not stop for an instant until his mission was accom- 
plished, exhausted though he was. For four days and nights we hardly left 
our saddles. It is a ride I do not think Lieutenant Rowan wilJ ever forget. 
But, like the soldier that he is, he never complained. When we finally reached 
the coast near Port Maniti, on May 5th, the only boat procurable was a little 
dory, hardly more than sixteen feet long, yet our orders permitted no delay, 
and six of us embarked on this little cockle shell. We were picked up by a 
sponger, and reached Nassau early on May 8th." 



CHAPTER XXII. 



Thrilling Stories of the War by Our Brave Heroes. 

ERE is a budget of stories, some grave, some gay, that are told of 
or by the soldiers who saw service in camp or against the Spanish. 

Troop K, of the Rough Riders, displayed a silken banner 
given to it before the war by a San Antonio woman, with this mes- 
sage : " I want you to carry it wherever you go. Take it into your fights 
with you, for I made it for fighting men." The banner was in tatters, cut by 
Mausers and shrapnel until there was nothing left of it but shreds. But 
Troop K sent word back to Texas that not one moment was the beautiful 
creation allowed to go backward, and life after life was given that it should 
go onward until Santiago was entered. This gift of a woman was baptized 
in human blood. 

When the American line had fought its way to the top of the hills at El 
Paso and San Juan and Caney, General Wheeler issued an order that every 
command should dig trenches in preparation for the conflict that he knew 
would break out again in the morning. But the soldiers had thrown away 
most of their trenching tools during the fierce rifle charges, and as darkness 
fell upon the scene of battle they threw themselves upon the ground and went 
to sleep from sheer exhaustion. Adjutant Hood, of the Rough Riders, noting 
this condition of affairs, rode over to General Wheeler's tent and informed the 
good old veteran that the men were played out. Wheeler at the time was 
lying upon his cot more dead than alive, but there was a smile upon his lips, 
and his never-failing good humor twinkling in his eyes, when Adjutant Hood 
said : 

" General, I am afraid our men can't dig the trenches?" 

" What men ? " asked the General. 

"The cavalry division," said the Adjutant. 

General Wheeler sat up in bed and began pulling on his boots. 

" Send me the man," he directed. 

"What man?" asked the Adjutant. 

" The man who can't dig trenches." 

" But it is not one man ; it is many men. They are just played out." 
" But you can surely find one man who says he can't dig the trench. I 
only want one. Go get him and bring him to me." 
" But there are—" 

875 




376 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



" I don't care how many there are, go get me one." 

The Adjutant had never faced such a man as Wheeler before, and he did 
not know just what to make of the conversation. The little old General was 
as smooth and suave and courteous as could be, and Hood had nothing to do 
but ride back to the line. In some way he managed to round up a colored 
trooper belonging to the Ninth Cavalry, and brought him back to the division 
headquarters. He stood looking sheepishly at the ground, when Wheeler 
addressed him. 

"Are you the man who says he can't dig these trenches?" asked the 
General. 

The negro's feet shuffled uneasily in the ground. 

" I'se one of 'em, boss, but there's a — " 

The General stopped him, and walked out of his tent. 

" You can go to sleep now, my man, and I'll go up and dig your trench 
for you. When the sun comes up to-morrow morning the Spaniards are going 
to open on us, and every man who isn't protected is not only in danger of 
being killed, but will be unable to help us maintain our own position. The 
trenches have to be dug, and if you are unable to dig yours I'll just go out 
and do it for you. Where's your pick ?" 

General Wheeler Digging Trenches^ 

With the most business-like air in the world, Wheeler slid into his coat, 
and turned toward the big cavalryman. The latter's eyes opened as he saw 
the proceedings, and they began to bulge out when the General motioned to 
him to lead the way to his camp. For half a minute his voice stuck in his 
throat, and then he said : 

" Boss, you ain't fit to dig no trenches. If they done got to be dug, I'll 
just naturally do it myself. I'm dog tired, but that ain't work for you." 

Wheeler stopped-and looked at the man with a flicker of amusement in 
his eyes. 

" I know it isn't work for me to do," he said, a but I am going to need 
soldiers in the morning, and I am going to save your life, if possible. Do 
you think now that you can dig the trench ?" 

The negro started up the hill without a word. Then the General turned 
to Adjutant Hood, with a voice as pleasant as sunshine in May. 

" He seems to have changed his mind," he said. " Now you go find me 
another man who can't dig the trenches." 

The Adjutant bowed and rode off. He never came back. In the morning 
the trenches were dug. 

A Maine soldier boy wrote home an interesting account of a reunion of 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



377 



the blue and gray in the trenches at Santiago. The Arkansas sentry expressed 
his sentiments in these words : 

" S'near as I can see, there ain't much difference atween we uns and you 
uns, 'cept that we uns reckon and you uns guess." 

" That's about all, neighbor/' replied the Maine man, " 'cept that we can 
guess a darn sight better than you can reckon." 

" It is entirely too bad/' complained an ardent Prohibitionist, whose 
devotion to the cause is of the deepest and most conservative character. 

" What's the matter now ? " he was asked. 

"I have just been reading in this paper," he replied, " that among the 
supply and other ships accompanying the naval expedition from San Fran- 
cisco to Manila is the Iris, a distilling ship. Although I abominate liquor in 
every shape and under all conditions, I can, I hope, restrain my wrath ; but 
when I learn that, not content with the liquor stores they can ordinarily carry 
along, the fleet must have a distilling ship as well — why, then, with me 
patience ceases to be a virtue. Great grief, but what a mass of liquor these 
naval folk must consume when they have to take along a floating distillery to 
keep up the supply ! " 

He was relieved when informed that a distilling ship was used for con- 
verting salt water into fresh. 

Manners Outside the Navy. 

The ordinary seaman's respect for rank and station when not connected 
with his beloved vessel is decidedly meager. When the President of the 
United States visits one of our men-of-war, he is received at the gangway by 
the Admiral, commanding officer, and all of the officers of the ship, in full 
uniform, the crew at quarters for inspection, the marine guard drawn up with 
the band on the quarterdeck, the national flag is displayed at the main, the 
drummer gives four ruffles, the band plays the national air, and a salute of 21 
guns is fired. The same ceremony also takes place on his leaving. 

On one occasion the President visited one of the ships informally, dis- 
pensing with the salute and ceremony, when one of the men rather indig- 
nantly asked another who that lubber was on the quarterdeck that didn't 
" douse his peak " to the Commodore. 

" Choke your luff, will you," was the reply, " that's the President of the 
United States." 

" Well, ain't he got manners enough to salute the quarterdeck, if he is ? " 
" Manners ! What does he know about manners ? I don't suppose he 
was ever out of sight of land in his life." 

There came into a Brooklyn hospital one day a young woman who 



378 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



seemed in great mental distress. She told the hospital authorities that she 
was looking for her brother, who was a sick soldier, and of whom all trace 
had been lost. The brother had gone to Santiago, had become sick there and 
had been taken to Montauk Point. From there he had been sent to a hospital 
in New York or Brooklyn, but no one could tell where. 

The young woman and her mother had come from the far West on a 
search for the soldier boy. They had spent several days at Camp W T ikoff and 
found finally that he had been sent to a hospital in this city. Mother and 
daughter came here, took lodgings and went through all the hospitals, exam- 
ining ward after ward. The search was without avail. They moved over to 
Brooklyn, and there the mother became so exhausted and unnerved that the 
daughter continued the work alone. When she came into the hospital she 
said that she feared her brother was too ill to give his name or that he had 
been entered on the books under a wrong name. She scanned the death list 
closely, and after a struggle with her courage, and did not find her brother's 
name. 

Then, under proper guidance, she started through the wards, peering into 
the face of every man. She went through them all, and in an effort to control 
her disappointment and to overcome her complete despondency she stepped 
over to a window overlooking a yard where a dozen convalescent soldiers 
were sitting taking the air. 

A Pathetic Scene. 

" Perhaps he's among them," said her guide. 

The young woman shook her head and stood watching the soldiers, at 
the same time trying to keep back the tears. Suddenly she gave a scream. 

" There's Tom now ! " she cried. " How can I get to him ? Let me go 
to him at once ! " 

There were no stairs in sight and in her excitement the young woman 
began to climb out ofthe window. She was seized and taken to a doorway. 
She dashed out to the group. They were in each other's arms in a jiffy and 
the soldiers joined in the tears that were shed — all except one. After the 
young woman had taken her brother off this one growled out : 

" I don't see why all you fellows had to cry because that girl found her 
brother. What d'je want to blubber for ? " 

" Ain't you got a mother or a sister ? " asked one of the group. 

The man bit his lip and fairly shouted : 

" Naw ! " 

The other soldiers turned their backs on him for the rest of the day. He 
felt it, however, and the next morning he said: 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



379 



" Say, fellows, course I had a mother. I didn't mean anything. I didn't 
want to give way, that's all. It doesn't do a man any good. I was just 
trying to be a soldier, that's all, and I " 

Then that man broke down and soldierly stoicism went to the winds. 

Another Wichita story becomes highly seasonable in view of the charge 
by the yellow journals that the typhoid convalescents were being starved to 
death in the army hospitals. Mr. Richey, a well-known Wichita railroad 
man, had been very sick at the local hospital with typhoid fever. His doctor 
visited him the other day and found him greatly depressed in spirits, and he 
said very solemnly : 

" Doctor, I have been praying all night." 

The doctor thought this a little strange, as Richey was not a religious 
man, but he replied sympathetically : 

" You have been feeling pretty bad, haven't you ? " 
" No, it isn't exactly that." 
" What is it then ? " 

" Well, I've been praying that the egg you said I could have to-day 
would be an ostrich egg." 

A Dog Deserter Returns. 

One of the returned soldiers from Santiago told this story of an army dog: 
" May be you remember Harry, Troop K's shepherd dog ? Well, people 
who saw us drill at the horse show last fall do, for the dog took part in the 
drill and created quite a small sensation by the way he obeyed the commands 
given the men. Harry went to Tampa and from there to Santiago with the 
men. He stayed with the troop after we landed until the day we got in the 
fight on San Juan Hill. Then he disappeared. Three hours after we had 
been engaged one of the wounded men from K saw the dog back in the cieek, 
lying in the water, where he was protected by a high bank. Overhead the 
bullets were whistling, and every time a shell or shrapnel came whistling and 
hissing by he crouched lower in the water. Next day, when the fighting was 
over, he came back on the firing line within an hour after the flag of truce was 
seen. If that wasn't a case of deserting in the face of the enemy I don't 
know it. When the fighting was resumed again he disappeared and did not 
get back until the armistic was declared. 

" Other dogs belonging to the different regiments did not fare as well as 
our deserter. The mascot of the Sixth Cavalry was a fine bulldog. He was 
wounded in the jaw and for a time was thought to be beyond hope. He got 
better before the Sixth started back. But he stayed behind. Orders were 
issued compelling the men to leave their pets behind. One of the Third's 



380 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



men had been detailed to act as clerk at General Wheeler's headquarters. He 
managed to smuggle the dog on board the Olivette, and so he got through to 
Montauk Point. He'll be back with the regiment." 

That the pen is mightier than the sword, and the pen's successor mightier 
than either, is conclusively proven by the exhibition of a typewriter in the 
window of a store in Philadelphia, which did valuable service in Santiago 
during the late war. The notice attached to the machine gives the informa- 
tion that after nine years of service, and over 20,000 miles of travel through 
tropical countries, it was taken to Santiago de Cuba by its owner — a war cor- 
respondent. It went to the front in an army mule wagon, laid in the trenches 
before Santiago, wrote letters for the wounded, printed a proclamation for the 
Cuban Brigadier-General Castillo, and was tumbled around in reckless style. 

It wrote 20,000 words a week for its owner, and more for other corre- 
spondents who borrowed it, and all this on locomotive oil taken from the 
Spanish. It never " got cranky." The veteran machine came home on the 
Seneca, was tossed by a careless deck hand into the Health Officer's boat at 
New York, and after being fumigated it turned up still in working order. 
The owner believed the machine indestructible. 

Chaffee and the "Kid" Soldier. 

It was at the canteen that the following story was told by a regular 
stretched luxuriously on the grass in the midst of foam-bedecked schooners : 

" Talk about your generals, Chaffee's the old boy for my money. I found 
out what he was at El Caney. My company was at work digging trenches, 
and while we were finishing up one the Spaniards began to fire and the bullets 
sang their little tunes pretty nigh to our heads. Well, there was a kid in the 
company that couldn't have been over eighteen. Never ought to have let him 
enlist at all. He was always complaining and kicking, and at the first fire 
down he went flat on his_face and lay there. One of the men kicked him, 
but he didn't stir. Then along came Chaffee, cool and easy, and sees the kid. 

"' Hello, there ! ' said Chaffee. ( What's the matter, you fellow down 
there ?' Get up and fight with your company.' 

"'No, I can't,' whines the kid. 

"' Can't?' says Chaffee, jumping down into the trench and hauling the 
boy up. 'What's the matter with you that you can't? Are you hurt?' 

"'No, sir,' says he. 'I'm scairt. I'm afraid of getting hit.' 

"'Well, you're a fine soldier,' says the General. Then he looked at the 
boyish face of the kid and his face kind of softened. ' I suppose you can't 
help it,' he said. ' It ain't so much your fault. I'd like to get hold of that 
fellow that took you into the army.' 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



381 



" I suppose any other general would have sent the kid to the rear in dis- 
grace, and that would have been the end of it ; but Chaffee stood there with 
the bullets ki-yiying around him beside the boy, who had crouched down 
again, and thought, with his chin in his hand. By and by he put his hand on 
the boy's shoulder. 

"'There isn't so much danger as you think for,' he said. 'Now, you get 
up and take your gun and fight, and I'll stand here by you.' 

"The boy got up, shaking like a leaf, and fired his first shot pretty near 
straight into the air. 

"'That's pretty high/ says the General. ' Keep cool and try again.' 

" Well, sir, in three minutes that scairt kid was fighting like a veteran 
and cool as a cucumber, and when he saw it the General started on. 

"'You're all right now, my boy,' he said. ' You'll make a good soldier.' 

"'God bless you, sir,' said the youngster. ' You saved me from worse 
than death,' and he was pretty close to crying when he said it. 

" After a while the order came to retire from the trench, and we just had 
to collar that kid and haul him away by the neck to get him to retreat 
with his company. And, at that, he got a bullet through the fleshy part of 
his shoulder an hour before. In the rest of the fights there wasn't a better 
soldier in the company, and not only that, but we never heard a grumble or 
a kick from him from that day." 

The "Black Hobson." 

This is the story of Bill and the fight before Santiago. Those who knew 
Bill in antebellum days of pristine glory when, as a faithful disciple of Epi- 
curus, he attended the famous banquets at the Battle House in Mobile, where 
he was wont to serve quail on toast with the grace of a French Count, would 
scarcely recognize him as the " striker/' who serves a young Second Lieuten- 
ant of the Twenty-second Infantry just now. But there is a new glory to Bill 
and a greater grandeur. His ebony countenance is fringed with patches of 
scant beard, a trifle lighter in shade than his sable skin, and his hirsutes have 
attained a prodigal growth more complete than the fastnesses of Guantanamo 
chaparral. Napoleon was never prouder of his crown than this Southern 
darky of his extravagant display of encircling hair. It is to him a halo of 
heroism, an aureole of endeavor. Bill explains that his unkemptness is pro- 
portionate to his hardships in the Cuban campaign and the extent of his hair 
in direct ratio to his valor. To those who know him well and who have been 
associated with him during the campaign he tells a different tale. 

" Will yer tek supper for two ? " asked Bill the other afternoon, poking 
his head in the officers' tent, where he observed a visitor. 



382 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



" Yes, make it for two. There's a crate of eggs sent down by the Red 
Cross to-day, and some apples sent over here by those Massachusetts people. 
Tell the cook to make up one of his drum-head omelettes and to reinforce it 
with one of his thirteen-inch dumplings," ordered the officer, as Bill pulled 
down the draperies of the tent wings and silently disappeared. 

" Queer darkey that," continued the officer. " Picked him up on the 
transport one day out of Tampa, and he's proved a perfect treasure. I firmly 
believe I owe my life to Bill." 

" Nursed you through yellow fever?" suggested the guest. 

u No ; did mor'n that. He fed me ; kept me stocked with the best in the 
country. Many a time I was about to give out from weakness and sheer 
hunger, when that infernal nigger would pop up in some mysterious way with 
a strip of fresh meat or something of the kind, and once he came in with eggs. 
Where he got them I could never understand. On the day after the fight at 
El Caney, he rustled me up a suit of new underclothes. I was afraid this 
was the property of some dead man, but Bill assured me it was ' live stuff.' " 

u Case of smooth fingers, was it ? " asked the guest. 

" Yes, very smooth fingers, but Bill is not a thief. Truth is, I believe I 
got on his game in a neat way. One day I noticed a crowd of Cuban insur- 
gents haunting the commissary wagons like buzzards. They would flock 
around, chattering and rubbing their eternally empty stomachs, with the inva- 
riable remark : ' Me moocha hongry — me moocha hongry.' I was gazing at 
this collection of harpies when I made out a seemingly familiar face in the 
very vanguard of the push. It flashed on me in a moment. There was Bill 
made up in the wildest Cuban style, looking hollow T -eyed and sad and rubbing 
his fat paunch to the tune of : ' Me moocha hongry — me moocha hongry.' I 
saw him get a bountiful supply, but I have never intimated that I had worked 
his combination. Bill would feel disgraced for life if he thought that I knew 
he even associated with the insurgents. He hates them worse than a rattle- 
snake." 

Couldn't Stand Shooting. 

The Lieutenant stopped long enough to roll up a cigarette according to 
the style taught him by the Spanish officer after the surrender and began to 
puff meditatively. 

" But there is one thing I could never understand about Bill," he resumed. 
"On the day of the fight at El Caney he disappeared and for two days was 
gone. I thought he had been killed, but he showed up all right. I have 
never been able to find out what became of him. I think — " 

" Dis here omelette ain't cooked zactly ernuff, but I ' low hit'll do, bein' 
ez de lard gin out." 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



383 



Bill had returned with two smoking platters and a pot of redolent coffee. 
I ain't used to waitin' on white fo'ks wid tin pans an' sich lac, but ef yer 
come down ter de Battle House, whar I wu'ks, in Mobile, I'll show you what 
waitin' is, right," exclaimed Bill, by way of reparation for spilling some of the 
coffee on the table. 

" I'se gittin' nerv'os ez er possum what bin treed sence dat battle er Sam — 
Sam — Samtiago," he added. 

" Were you very much frightened at the time of the fight?"' asked the 
guest. 

"Ax de Lieutenant, here," replied Bill, evasively. " He wuz right dar. 
He seen it all, fum A to izzard." 

" Didn't see you for two days and a half," answered the officer. " How 
do I know what you did ? " 

" I wuz right dar, dough, boss, I wuz right dar. sho' an' sartin, I wuz 
campin' 'bout dat place wurs'n Grant camped eroun' Richmond." 

" What became of you on the day of the big fight ? " insisted the guest. 

A "Nigger" Very Much Scared. 

" Xow, boss, Pse gwine tell yer de Lord's truf. I ain't neber let on ter 
nobody whar I wuz dat day, an' I ain't gwine 'spond ter nobody else erbout 
it, 'ceptin' Marse Ike an' you, but fo' de Lawd I was de skeerdest nigger dat 
eber drawed de bref er life. I wuz ez skeered ez Brer Rabbit when he 
slapped de tar baby, an' a lots skeerder. kase Brer Rabbit had de brier patch 
ter hide him, but fo' de Lawd, dis nigger didn't hab nuffin' 'ceptin' runnin' 
water." 

" How's that? " asked the guest. 

" I'se gwine tell yer, man. Don't argufy wid me an' I'll tell yer de whole 
bizness. Cos I'se gwine tell dem Mobile niggers an' all dat gang down dar, 
how I grabbed er gun outen de han's ov er dead man an' killed forty-'leven 
dozen Spaniards, an' dat's what I tells dese niggers in de ioth an' 9th Cal'vry 
what axes me what I did, but I'se gwine tell yer all erbout it. 

" Did yer eber hear one er dese here sky-rockets, at Christmus time 
what goes whe-e-e-e-e-e-z-z-bomb ? Well, dat wuzn't nuffin' ter dem bum- 
shells dat day. Dey flashed sam' ez lightnin' an' growled sam' ez thunder. 
Time I heard 'em comin' ! I sed, ' Luk here, nigger, dis am no place for you." 
an' I put out lac er cal'vry horse on de charge. I gits down ter dat branch 
what runs twixt El Caney and San Juan, an' I squatted right dar in de water. 
I heard de folks yellin' an' de guns er shootin' an' de bullits hittin', zip-zip, 
an' ping-ping-ping, an' de cannons spoutin' out fire an' brimstone, an' I 'gin ter 
say muh prayers an' shout ter de Saviour. After while de guns gits louder, 



384 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



an' de bullits gits thicker, an' de ball 'gin ter drap all eround an' I squat down 
lower an' lower in de water, till fust thing I knowd I wuz almost drownded. 
I flopped erbout in de water sam' ez er fish an' I dived lac er terrapin, but 1 
come out alright, an' atter it wuz all done I crawled out an' dried off." 

" How about the night attack, Bill? "asked the officer. 'Did you get 
through that safely? " 

(t Lord! sho wuz skeered den. I wuz sleepin' wid one er dese ioth 
Cal'vry niggers what's used ter fightin', and when dat noise comes I jumps up 
an' takes erway dat shelter tent same ez der win'. I run right fru evy 'thing, 
an' I didn't stop good till daybreak. 

" Is yer finished wid dem plates?" asked Bill, gathering up the debris of 
dinner. " I spec I done let on too much already, but don't yer gib me erway 
ter none er dem Mobile niggers. I'se gwine ter be black Hobson when I 
gits home, an' dat's de Lord's truf." 

As it Looked to a Volunteer. 

Some of the volunteer soldiers who were put under the command of 
regular army officers soon after the beginning of the Cuban war, found it a 
little hard to learn all the lingo of the camps. An officer sent a young vol- 
unteer orderly to requisition at the quartermaster's stores some tentage, and 
when he returned questioned him : 

" Orderly?" 

" Yes, sir." 

" Did you get the tents I ordered ? " 
" Yes, sir." 

" Did you get the wall tents ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" And the A tents ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

u And the dog tents ? " 
" Yes, sir." 

" And the flies for the wall tents ?" 
" Flies, sir? No, sir." 

" What ? Now, why didn't you get the flies ?" 

The soldier saluted respectfully ; at any rate, he combined a salute and a 
motion which brushed away a cloud of flies from in front of his nose. 
" Camp is full of them, sir/' he answered. 

Henry Laun, twenty-seven years old, a member of Battery B, First 
United States heavy artillery, with his leg bandaged and a bullet wound in 
his arm, left Montauk on a furlough, one day in September, eager to let his 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



385 



old father and mother know he was alive. They lived at No. 400 Palisade 
avenue, Jersey City, but there he was told they had moved to Hoboken. 
When he found his home at last he learned that both parents had died almost 
a month ago. 

On one of the government transports from Porto Rico, Laun arrived at 
Camp Wikofif, where he was immediately stricken with typhoid fever. He 
recovered after an illness of ten days, and they had to discharge him from the 
hospital, so eagerly did he insist on getting home. A piece of shrapnel had 
struck him in the left leg in Porto Rico, and a Mauser bullet had pierced his 
arm during the charge up San Juan Hill, in Cuba, and neither of the wounds 
was healed. 

Laun was an only child, and he felt that his parents must be almost 
frantic for news of him. He had not heard from them since his battery had 
left Key West for Cuba, although he wrote five or six times. When he 
reached his home he was surprised to see a strange face at the door. 

Thought they Must be Anxious. 

" I want to see Mrs. Laun,'' he said. 

" Oh, she doesn't live here any more," was the reply. " She and her hus- 
band moved to Hoboken." 

Laun took a trolley car to Hoboken, and limped through the streets, 
making inquiries. At last he found where his mother and father had lived. 
He rang the bell, but again a stranger came to the door. 

" Doesn't Mrs. Laun live here ? " asked the artilleryman, with a sinking 
heart. 

"Why, no," said the young girl at the door. " Havn't you heard ? She 
died weeks ago." 

" But Mr. Laun, her husband ?" 

" He's dead too. Died two weeks after his wife. Are you a relative ?" 

" Yes," answered the young man, faintly, " I'm their son." 

Laun was almost heartbroken. He was without a home now, and had 
no other relatives in this country, his next of kin living in Germany. 

" I always corresponded regularly with my mother," the young man said. 
" I received my last letter when we were at Key West. It was not in my 
mother's handwriting, and it told me she and father were ill. I wrote fre- 
quently after we reached Cuba, but no reply came. Naturally, I didn't worry 
about that, although I was very anxious to hear from home. My father was 
eighty-six years old and my mother fifty. 

" It was about three weeks after I sailed from Key West that mother was 
taken with pneumonia. She died, and then father followed her. They had 
25 



386 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



not even left a note for me, and the landlady only knew that they had a son 
somewhere in the army." 

When Laun's furlough expired, he set off at once for Port Royal, S. C, 
where his battery was stationed. " I can't bear to stay here any longer," he 
said. 

A Young Hero of San Juan. 

"A great round moon rose slowly over the tree-tops and cast soft, long 
shadows over that seeming solitude of death," says a writer in Truth. " I 
climbed the hill of San Juan, sad and heavy-hearted, to look for the body of 
my ' bunkie,' Lieutenant Garesche Ord. For seven weeks we had lived in 
the same tent in Tampa, and for over a week had shared the hardships and 
fatigue of the Cuban campaign together. On the morning of the last day of 
his life he came to me in the creek bottom of the San Juan River, as the men 
of General Hawkins' brigade were marching through to go into action, and, 
with a happy, joyous laugh, begotten of the excitement and the martial spirit 
that imbued him, he slapped me on the back and said in a stage whisper, 
' Bunkie, old man, I'll come out of this either a colonel or a corpse ! ' I shook 
hands with him and wished him good luck, and, as he left me, called after 
him, ' Be careful, Garry ! ' 

" Poor Garry ! I found him that night, lying in the white, pure moon- 
light, fast asleep, with his head pillowed on his arm, and I imagined, as I 
patted his face in a fond farewell, that the same old boyish smile rested there. 
He lay on the farthest Spanish trench of the San Juan hill, dead. Killed by 
the hand of a wounded Spanish soldier in the trench. It seems that Ord was 
many yards in advance in that wonderful charge up the hill, and that as he 
stood on the edge of the trench he turned and shouted to the men behind, 
' Don't shoot the wounded men. Make them prisoners,' and at the same 
instant he fell by a pistol-shot from the hands of the very man whose life he 
attempted to save. 

" Too high a tribute cannot be paid to this gallant fellow — there were 
many that day who deserved as much. He knew no sense of fear. His 
highest aim in life was to support a widowed sister — widowed by the loss of 
her soldier-husband at Wounded Knee — and to emulate the historic military 
career of his famous father, General Ord. 

" It was Ord who furnished the generals who stood in San Juan Creek 
with the first definite information as to the position of the enemy in front of 
them. He climbed a high tree and reported to General Hawkins from this 
lookout point :he location of the fort, the direction of the trenches, and the 
apparent force of the enemy. During the entire time he was under fire from 
the sharpshooters, but gave no evidence of the slightest trepidation. 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



387 



" It is related that Ord climbed two more trees in the death-trap jungle, 
far to the left, where Hawkins' brigade was forcing its way to the final charge, 
reporting each time valuable information. Ord's bravest act — the one which 
never will be forgotton by those who witnessed it — was the leading in the 
charge of a handful of Sixteenth Infantry men to the top of the hill. General 
Hawkins gave him permission to organize and get in position for the final 
desperate assault some bodies of soldiers on the right who had become con- 
fused by their devious windings in the underbrush. He was next seen after 
the sounding of the ' Forward ! ' far in advance of the line, waving the men 
on in the charge. It was the unanimous opinion of officers and soldiers 
alike that to this young hero unquestionably belongs the honor of first 
scaling the entrenchments of San Juan, He lies buried on the hilltop, under 
two waving palms, rolled in a blanket — the soldier's coffin— promoted in the 
hearts of those who loved him to a rank far higher than the colonelcy he 
coveted, to the rank of a hero born, a hero dead ! An honor to the name he 
bore, to the soldiers by whose side he fought, to his family and himself, he 
will long be remembered for his manliness, his fidelity to duty and the noble 
part he acted on the battlefield." 

"The Dead Came to Life Again." 

For a long time after August, when he was reported to be dying at 
Tampa, Fla., Mrs. Lina Hoerner, of Newark, N. J., had no word from her 
son, Private B. Hoerner, of the Sixth Cavalry, and she had mourned him as 
dead. Yet, hoping to the last, as mothers will, she prepared a place for him 
at the table every day, allowing no one else to sit in it. Every day, from early 
morning until late at night, in the faint hope that he might come back to her, 
she kept a pot of coffee warm on the range and a few delicacies ready to serve 
at a few minutes' notice. One afternoon she remarked to a neighbor that it 
was no use, and she guessed she wouldn't keep it up, because it served as a 
constant reminder of her dear boy who w r as dead. 

However, that night the coffee was steaming on the range, and the knife, 
fork, napkin and other table utensils were neatly arranged at the place where 
her son had sat in days gone by. Mrs. Hoerner was sitting alone in the par- 
lor. She was reading the last letter that had come to her from her son. It 
told her that perhaps she would not get another or see him again. She folded 
it in an agony of grief. 

At that instant there was a heavy step at the front door and a pull at 
the bell. 

Mrs. Hoerner asked : " Who is it ? " 

" Only me/' came a hoarse voice. In its tones were something familial 



388 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



to her ear. She threw the door open, and the rays of light fell upon what at 
first appeared to her to be the apparition of her son. She started back in 
alarm, and then, with a cry of joy, threw herself into his arms. The coffee 
and the delicacies in the pantry found a use at last. 

The headlines in the morning papers recounting the daring dash of the 
" Rough Riders" furnished an interesting theme for the passengers on a Cam- 
bridge car which left Harvard Square via the subway in Boston, a few days 
after the attack at Quasina. 

Two men boarded the car near Cambridge City Hall, the elder quickly 
buying a Mornifig Globe to get the news. His eyes had scarcely scanned the 
first page before an agonized groan was heard, and the next instant he said : 
" My God, my boy is dead ! I told him not to go, but he was bound to go 
to the front." 

The man's companion pulled the bell, and after the car came to a full stop 
he helped the heart-broken parent from the car. He was deadly pale and tot- 
tered rather than walked, assisted by his companion. The man's name could 
not be learned, but some one had heard him talking about reaching town only 
yesterday and also commenting on the class-day exercises at Harvard, so it 
was taken for granted that his son must have been a Harvard man. It was a 
touching scene and furnished the passengers with a realization of what war 
means to many a saddened heart. 

Taunted with Cowardice. 

Taunted because of his alleged cowardice, driven to shame by the cruel 
jests of his comrades, bearing at the same time the awful wounds of a Mauser 
bullet in his chest, and with two fingers of his right hand shot away, brave 
William McComas, a private in Company D, Second United States Infantry, 
plunged headlong from the deck of a transport at the government wharf at 
Fort Monroe upon his return from Santiago in August. 

Of all the acts demonstrative of quiet, unassuming heroism which have 
been brought to the surface in the deadly conflict in the southern end of 
crimson-stained Cuba, this remarkable act of Private McComas will long claim 
the attention of the boys in blue who were fighting shoulder to shoulder in 
the defense of their country's honor. 

McComas was but a stripling, barely out of his teens. He had lived all 
his life on a farm in Western Massachusetts and had not been accustomed to 
the continuous element of tinseled glory which was the feature of his new 
environments. His parents were well-to-do country folks whose sole ambition 
in life was the rearing of the boy who had been driven to his death by the 
thoughtlessness of his comrades. 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



389 



It was openly claimed that McComas was a coward of the rankest type. 
It was even said that he had purposely inflicted the wounds upon his hand in 
order to escape duty upon the battle line. His comrades learned to loathe 
him ; they had no time for a man who played what they called the " baby 
act/' and the remarkable attitude assumed by the soldier boy from the old 
Bay State was proof conclusive in the minds of his comrades that McComas 
was an arrant coward. 

The circumstances attending the general bearing of McComas may have 
justified the boys of the Second in placing the young recruit under the ban, 
but later developments have placed an entirely different aspect upon the 
calibre of the " Greenhorn," as he was generally called, and to-day there is 
not one man in all Company D who has not expressed sorrow for the many 
unkind acts which they had thrust upon the forbearing farmer boy. 

When the first call for troops was made by President McKinley, McComas 
although but nineteen years of age, was among the first to offer his services 
to the government. He was accepted and assigned to Company D, Second 
Uc S. Regulars, and within one week's time he had given his last farewell 
to his father and mother and friends and was on his way to join his regiment 
at Tampa. 

As Strong as an Ox. 

Of all the men in that particular regiment there was not one among them 
who proved a better physical specimen than did McComas. His out-door 
country life had given him a constitution of iron, he was strong as an ox, and 
performed the hardest duties with an ease which won for him the admiration 
of all his messmates. 

It was this strength that the boys of the Second admired. They talked 
among themselves of what McComas could do in an emergency ; they natur- 
ally thought that he would be a fearful adversary if aroused to anger, and 
for the first few weeks in the army every man in Company D let McComas 
strictly alone. 

When the Second Regiment was removed to Key West some of the 
boys of Company D took advantage of the saloons in that place and imbibed 
too freely of the poisonous rot which is called pure whiskey and sold at 
twenty cents a drink. McComas had been detailed to guard duty, and it was 
while in the pursuance of this particular branch of his military duties that he 
acquired the sobriquet of " Coward McComas." 

It was said that he halted a party of men from his own company who 
were straggling into camp after hours. He marched them to the sergeant of 
the guard, and the following morning each of the seven disturbers were sen- 
tenced to three days in the guard house on bread and water. 



390 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



After the men were liberated they all began to quietly abuse McComas. 
He said nothing and the men noting his action became more forcible in their 
unpieasantries, and finally one of the number stepped up to McComas and 
dared him to fight. McComas, much to the surprise of his admirers, flatly 
refused to engage in any such encounter, whereupon the belligerent soldier 
struck the inoffensive lad a sharp blow in the breast. 

In explaining afterwards why he did not resent the open insult, McComas 
quietly replied that he had not joined the army for the purpose of indulging 
in brawls, and " besides," he added, " should I have struck McCarthy the 
chances are that I would have killed him." 

When the Second Infantry arrived in Cuba almost the first accident to 
befall a member of the regiment was in the shooting away of two fingers of 
McComas' right hand. He stopped in the midst of the downpour of leaden 
bullets and coolly wrapped a handkerchief around his hand and was about to 
resume his place in the ranks when the sergeant of the company ordered him 
to the rear for treatment. 

The first skirmish lasted but an hour and then the firing ceased, and it 
soon became whispered among the men of Company D that in order to escape 
being sent to the firing line McComas had deliberately inflicted the wounds 
in order to keep out of the more deadly fire. McComas with two fingers 
amputated and his hand done Up in bandages heard the taunting remarks of 
his comrades, and although the tears mounted to his large brown eyes he said 
nothing, but turned sadly away and sought comfort in solitude. 

Wounded, but Fought Like a Demon. 

An hour later the second skirmish started and the soldier boys of the 
Second started on a run for the trenches. McComas seized a rifle from the 
hospital tent and running across an open patch directly in the line of fire, 
managed to reach the- ranks of the Second Massachusetts. With these brave 
men he fought like a demon despite the fact that he could only use one of 
his hands in manipulating the heavy rifle. He was at the front during the 
whole of that eventful second of July. He never faltered neither did he waver 
from the path of duty, but with the fortitude of a veteran he returned shot for 
shot with the coolness and precision of a sharpshooter. 

When the firing had ceased and the roll call of Company D was held, it 
was found that William McComas, private, was missing. An hour later when 
McComas walked into camp looking weary and haggard, he was immediately 
court martialed as a deserter ; and it was only through the testimony of the 
men of the Second Massachusetts that he escaped. capital punishment. 

The order of General Shafter, which directed that all wounded soldiers 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



391 



be removed to the United States, was the direct cause of McComas leaving 
Cuba. His injuries had become apparent to the eyes of the surgeons and 
they decided that the best place for the soldier was a Northern hospital. He 
was hastily placed aboard a homeward bound transport. 

On the homeward passage McComas kept aloof from his companions, all 
of whom had received injuries in the battle before Santiago. They called 
him " coward," they taunted him beyond endurance, and when the government 
wharf was reached at Fort Monroe the most dejected man aboard the trans- 
port was William McComas. 

Brooding, He Killed Himself. 

He became despondent and brooded over the unkind remarks of his 
comrades. He was told that he would be kept at the Fort until his recovery 
and then he would be given his discharge. He thought of his presumed dis- 
grace, and finally unable to bear his troubles any longer, he leaped over the 
side of the transport and, without a struggle, forfeited his bright young life. 

Two days later the body of the suicide was recovered in the lower basin 
of the river and it was taken back to the Fort for disposition. Then an 
examination was made of the remains and the startling discovery was made 
that a Mauser bullet had ripped its way through the youthful soldier's left 
lung, making a ragged, irregular hole directly beneath the breast bone. 

That the wound was received at Santiago was proved by the physicians 
who examined the body, and they claim that the pain caused by the undressed 
injury must have been awful in its intensity. The bullet was found imbedded 
in the muscles of the back. 

When the fact became noised about the barracks at Fort Monroe that 
McComas had been shot in the chest at Santiago the soldiers immediately 
adopted a different tone when speaking of their dead comrade. He had said 
nothing about his injuries, preferring to bear the pain until he reached his 
home ; anything to be away from the maddening jeers of the men whom he 
looked upon as ideal soldiers. 

McComas was laid to rest beneath the shades of grim old Fort Monroe. 
His former companions paid him the tribute due one of his sterling worth. 
They formed an escort and followed the remains to the little grave ; and when 
the body was lowered to its last resting place they fired a salute over the 
mound, and the bugler blew for " lights out," and then all sorrowfully returned 
to their barracks to talk in subdued tones of the remarkable youth whose 
sterling qualities they had been unable to justly appreciate. He left behind 
him a shining example of a soldier who only knew how to do his duty and 
leave consequences to themselves. 



392 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



Blair, a regular, said to be of the Seventeenth, was shot at El Caney, 
Tuly 1st. Two wounded men of the Seventy-first New York fell beside him 
in worse shape than he. They could not move. He could a little. 

A Spanish sharpshooter had the range of them where they lay, their 
comrades having pushed on. Although down, the three men were his target. 

" Spit ! " and one of the bullets cut a lock of hair from Blair's forehead. 

" Spit ! " again, and one of the New Yorkers winced as his shoulder 
was cut. 

Blair for a time could not locate the fellow, but finally discovered him 
300 yards distant, up a tree. He was incautious, and displayed himself in 
taking aim. Blair had his gun beside him, and with one shot brought him 
down. Then, wounded in the groin as he was, he crawled 900 feet to his 
enemy to get his canteen of water and 900 feet back, not touching it himself, 
and poured it down the throats of the two New Yorkers. He died holding 
the drink to the lips of one of them. His only remark as to his journey was : 

"I'm a regular. You fellows have homes." 

One of the New Yorkers survived to return home and tell the story of 
this hero's end. 

Detecting Blanket Thieves. 

That the discomforts of camp life were not always due to governmental 
neglect, was shown by a clever .little bit of detective work done by Major Ira 
C. Brown, the executive officer of the hospital at Camp Meade. For some 
time he has been missing blankets at the hospital. Those sent to the hospital 
laundry failed to return, and at first he was inclined to think it was because of 
the recent stormy weather. But one night he heard something which aroused 
his suspicions, and, donning a suit of old clothes and taking a revolver, he 
started out with a guard at his heels. At the laundry the guard remained 
outside while the Major went in. One of the laundry employees was standing 
behind the counter. 

" What do you'se' want. Do you want to buy a blanket? " 

The Major asked the price. 

" Seventy-five cents, if you take half a dozen." 

The Major decided to take that many and handed a bill over in payment. 

The laundry employee got out a bag of silver to make change. 

"That was full," he said, "but I got it changed in bills." 

" Are you doing a pretty good business ? " the Major asked. 

" Bully. If you've got any friends who want blankets bring 'em arouna. 
I can get lots more where these came from." 

At that stage the Major drew his revolver, and, covering the fellow, said : 
"You are under arrest." At the same time he summoned the guard. The 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



393 



look upon the fellow's face was beyond description. He sank back upon a 
pile of blankets, protesting at first, and finally confessing, implicating another 
employee. This man was immediately hunted up, found, and also arrested. 
No more blankets disappeared thereafter. 

In the Enemy's Country 

" There were five of us, all newspaper men," said one of the number, 
" and all very dirty, very brown, very disreputable looking, and more than 
very hungry," says the correspondent of the Minneapolis Times. " We were 
packed into a carriage drawn by a couple of Porto Rico frames for horses 
and were en route from Porto Ponce to the city itself, the hour 10 a. m., and 
the date July 27th, on which day the principal city in the island fell into the 
hands of the avuncular Samuel. There was a good bit of excitement in the 
four miles of drive over the well-kept road fringed with cane fields, cocoanut 
palms, sugar mills, blue and white houses, and flowering shrubs. 

" Native Porto Ricans were either wild with delight at being rid of the 
Spanish soldiers, or simulated joy to a marvel. They ran (not fast, it wasn't 
necessary with that team) beside the carriage, shouting 'Vivi Americanos!' 
and now and again some particularly dirty specimen would gain a perilous 
foothold on the crazy step of the ramshackle vehicle and insist on shaking 
hands all round. He would have kissed us, Spanish fashion, if we had shown 
any willingness that way. Some of the women did. But that's another story. 

" We were in search of breakfast. It is not necessary to grow prolix 
over what that word meant to us. Suffice it, we would rather have found a 
good meal than a big nugget. Inquiry elicited the fact that Ponce had two 
cafes of note, that of the Hotel Inglaterra and that of the Hotel Francois. 
The latter was the nearest, and, for that reason, chosen. 

" The city had been in the possession of American troops less than half 
an hour, so we were the first of the army of occupation to grace the quiet 
precincts of the Cafe Francois. How cool it was, with its fountains and mar- 
bles, how bright with its ponciana tree in bloom, its huge flowery shrubs and 
its bright plumaged parroquets, how comical its frescoes of Daphnes, Chloes, 
Phyllises, and Strephons, yet how dainty withal, for the table napery was 
spotless, the glass, china, and (alleged) silver shining with cleanliness and 
the carafes glistening with (Ye gods, could it be possible?) real ice. 

" Madame the Mistress (a veritable polyglot) backed by three buxom 
maids, jabbered away at us, as we threw aside revolvers and field glasses and 
seated ourselves at a round table near the fountain, in a Franco-Hispano- 
Anglo dialect, out of which we gathered that if we would not kill the women 
and burn the hotel the resources of the cafe were at our disposal. 



394 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



" We promised that death and destruction should follow only in case 
the breakfast did not appear speedily and bountifully. It did. What a break- 
fast ! Its memory will abide while those five palates preserve their functions 
and recollection hold its seat. Cold bouillon, fresh fish, a Spanish omelette 
(huge in proportions, exquisite in accessories), fruit of the freshest and most 
succulent, coffee like amber and cigars that had been made in Havana before 
the declaration of war. 

" Instead of harming that hostess or any of her household, after eating 
that breakfast, we would have attacked with gusto any one who failed to treat 
her as the queen of providers and dispensers. We call for the bill — and then 
came chaos. 

" ' What ! You will pay ? ' almost screamed madame. As evidence of 
honest intention each man produced his canvas sack and emptied its store of 
American half eagles and British sovereigns on the table in front of her. 

" ' Henri ! Henri ! ' yelled the excited woman. ' Come here, my heart. 
Come quickly and behold these men, these angels. They will pay. They 
do not complain. They compliment me on my cooking. Sancta Maria, it 
is too much,' and the good woman threw herself into the arms of her fat and 
hitherto invisible husband, as he appeared in the doorway, while down her 
red cheeks streamed tears of veritable delight. 

" There isn't any moral to this morning glimpse of Ponce at the sur- 
render unless it be found in the comment madame's surprise created upon the 
probable methods and manners of the Spanish officers who had hitherto been 
her principal patrons." 

Brave Correspondents. 

One particular class of hero of the late war — the newspaper correspond- 
ent — has been almost overlooked in the blaze of glory that greeted the home- 
coming of our victorious troops, but Admiral Sampson has written the follow- 
ing tribute of praise to the gentlemen of the press. The valor of the American 
newspaper man, as exhibited in the late war, has rightly excited universal 
comment. The old-time war correspondent, who remained with the com- 
mander-in-chief, miles behind the firing line, has been conspicuous by his 
absence in the most recent war. 

The chronicler of battle preferred to march where the fiercest of fighting 
was in progress, risking his life for the sake of duty as nobly and readily as 
the soldiers. The world has wondered almost as much at this heroism of the 
modern newspaper man as at the reckless bravery of the soldiers and sailors 
who carried Old Glory so impetuously to victory. Admiral Sampson writes : 

" It gives me great pleasure to reply to your question regarding the 
behavior of newspaper men under fire. 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



395 



" I take it for granted that newspaper men are not more fond than other 
mortals of being under fire, but I have yet to see one who did not behave in 
the best manner possible. They seem prompted by a sense of duty to obtain 
all the news without regard to any personal exposure. 

" I know of many cases where they have sought to gather news first 
hand under circumstances which could be explained in no other way." 

Courtesy Made Him Cry. 

The steamer Australia, one of the transports which sailed on the first 
expedition to the Philippines, and returned last week, brought an inter- 
esting story in connection with the capture of the Ladrones, says the San 
Francisco Examiner. 

When the Governor of the islands went on board the Charleston to 
apologize for not returning the latter' s salute, he was in earnest about the 
salute. Doubtless, he attributed the two shots through the fort at Guam to 
the bad marksmanship of the Americans. Before the war all Spaniards 
thought all Americans were poor shots, but that, as Rudyard Kipling would 
observe, is another story. 

Captain Glass, of the Charleston, bade the Governor write letters to his 
officers on the islands, telling them that he was a prisoner, and that the 
Ladrones were now American property. The Governor obeyed, and as he 
finished each letter, he handed it to the Captain to read. The epistles were 
satisfactory, and they were sent ashore in a small boat. Just before the boat 
left, the Governor called the Captain aside. • 

" Your Excellency," said he, " will you permit me to write a letter to my 
wife?" 

" Why, certainly," replied Captain Glass, and he gave orders to hold the 

boat. 

" Take your time, old man," said Captain Glass, noticing his haste ; 
" take all the time you want. There is absolutely no hurry." 

The Governor mutely thanked the commander. He appreciated, but 
could not understand such courteous treatment. When he finished his letter, 
he held it out to Captain Glass. 

" What's this ? " asked the Charleston's master. 

" It is my letter to my wife. It is for you to read." 

" Read ! " repeated Glass, looking from the letter to the Governor's face. 
" Read that letter ! Why, man, we are Americans. What's in that letter is 
between you and your wife. It is as sacred to us as the honor of our flag." 

The Governor gazed at Captain Glass in bewilderment. Slowly he sank 
into a chair and mechanically inclosed the letter in an envelope and addressed 



396 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



it. He handed the envelope to Captain Glass, looked at him for a moment, 
then buried his head in his arms on the table and burst into tears. 

Differences of patriotic sentiment caused a disruption in the family of 
Vincente Hauria- Martens, of New York. Believing that duty called him to 
Madrid to take up arms for his native land, for he is a Spaniard, Mr. Martens 
enlisted in the Spanish army, while his son, Richard, joined the Seventy-first 
Regiment to fight against him. 

Mr. Martens was well known in New York years ago as the agent for a 
brand of champagne, but recently he has been in the insurance business. He 
lived in comfortable circumstances at No. 228 West Twenty-first street with 
his daughter Elsie, who is an actress, and Richard, the son. He came to this 
country from Spain thirty years ago with the then famous Martens cat duettists, 
of which his wife was a member. He never returned to Madrid. When his 
wife died, not long ago, he expressed a desire to go back to Spain. " It is 
my country, and I love it far better than this land," he said to his son. 

" Well, this is my native land, and to my thinking the Stars and Stripes 
float over the best people on the earth," Richard replied. 

This display of feeling angered the old man. When the Maine was blown 
up and the Spaniards were censured for it Mr. Martens said he would return 
to Madrid and help wipe out the insult with blood. His son remonstrated, 
but he was firm. 

" I am a Spaniard, and so are you, even if you were born in this country," 
Mr. Martens once said. 

" Indeed, I am not. I am a New Yorker and stand ready to fight for my 
flag," Richard responded. The quarrel became bitter and terminated by the 
father taking the first steamer for Madrid after war was declared. 

" I go to fight the Yankees," he said, as he left his house. 

" I shall enlist to oppose you," Richard quietly replied. The next day 
he joined Company G, of the Seventy-first Regiment, and in a letter to his 
sister he said he hoped to see his father in the ranks of the enemy. 

A Spartan Mother. 

" Mrs. John Maroney, of New Haven, Conn., performed an act of patriot- 
ism that places her among the Spartan mothers of the country. When the 
war broke out Mrs. Maroney' s son John enlisted in Captain Beach's battery 
of heavy artillery, which was recruited in that city. The battery, although a 
finely drilled organization, has never gotten any further than the State camp, 
at Niantic. The men of the battery have grown very tired of their monot- 
onous camp life. Young Maroney became homesick, and one day took 
French leave of his company. He turned up at his mother's home, and 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



397 



Mrs. Maroney questioned him severely in regard to his absence from the 
battery. 

John evaded his mother's questions at first, and it was not for several 
days that she elicited a confession from him that he had deserted. Mrs. 
Maroney at once told her boy that she was ashamed of him and would have 
him arrested and sent to prison. John ran out of the house when he realized 
the possibility of occupying a military prison. 

Mrs. Maroney pursued him into the back yard. He attempted to scale 
a high board fence, and she grabbed a clothespole and beat him over the back 
and head so severely that he surrendered. Then Mrs. Maroney, whose hair 
is white with age, marched her son to the police station, called up Captain 
Beach at Niantic on the telephone and told him that she had her son and she 
wanted the Captain to send a guard for him and give him the full punishment 
for deserting. 

The Captain thanked Mrs. Maroney and sent a guard to take the young 
man back to camp. Mrs. Maroney's husband was a soldier, and he fought 
bravely in the Civil War. Mrs. Maroney is proud of the fact, and was proud 
of her son when he enlisted, but was heartbroken over his desertion. 

Humor of Grim War. 

Grim-visaged war has its humors as well as its terrible side, and Captain 
General Blanco was not the only humorist in the recent conflict. The cable- 
gram to Madrid from that redoubtable commander about the mule that was 
killed at Matanzas set two continents a-laughing and thousands of rhymers to 
writing verses. And it was a dull day when he did not in a dispatch to the 
Spanish Government destroy several American men-of-war. 

But as a humorist, the Captain of Manila who requested a cessation of 
hostilities while he went ashore for more ammunition, is entitled to the cake. 
The Petrel, of Dewey's fleet, chased a gunboat up the Pasig River. Seeing 
he was cornered, the Captain of the Spanish gunboat went to the Petrel in a 
small boat under a flag of truce to make terms. The American Captain told 
him he must surrender or fight. " We are willing to fight," replied the 
Spaniard. " Please allow us to send for ammunition, because our store is 
exhausted.'* 

There was decidedly no humor, however, in the misuse of the flag of 
truce by the Spanish Captain Sasta, at the Cavite Arsenal. He hoisted a 
white flag when he was sore pressed, and when the Americans, believing he 
had surrendered, came to take possession, they found the Spaniards still 
under arms. The withdrawal of the troops, with their arms, pending negotia- 
tions for surrender, was an instance of treachery and bad faith. 



398 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



The coolness with which Commodore Dewey interrupted the battle for 
breakfast is decidedly humorous. The crews of the war ships were shut up 
below decks, with hot boilers within and a tropical sun without, and the 
intense heat would possibly have done more damage than the Spanish guns. 
So breakfast time came most opportunely. But it is not likely that a great 
battle was ever deliberately interrupted before by the sound of the break- 
fast bell 

An incident took place at the battle of Mobile Bay, when a breakfast was 
kept waiting for the close of hostilities. Rear Admiral James E. Jouett, of 
Montgomery County, Md., then a lieutenant-commander, was in command of 
a vessel. A lieutenant named Murphy, who had resigned from the United 
States Navy, had command of one of the small Confederate boats in the bay. 
Jouett and Murphy had been warm friends before the war at the Naval 
Academy, so Jouett had a delightful breakfast prepared, and then set them- 
selves to capture Murphy's boat. This he succeeded in doing after some delay 
and Murphy came aboard with his arm in a sling to surrender his sword in the 
most formal manner. Instead of taking the sword Jouett reproached Murphy 
for keeping breakfast waiting. Upon seeing the feast, Murphy, who was very 
hungry, said: "Jouett, if you had only sent me word about this breakfast I 
would have surrendered an hour ago." 

Origin of "Yankee Doodle.' 

A correspondent writes: " It may be news to most people to be apprised 
of the fact that the air of the American national song, ' Yankee Doodle,' was 
originally that of a Cavalier ditty, and was possibly whistled by the London 
street arabs of Royalist sympathies with the object of irritating the Round- 
heads. Only it was ' Nankee Doodle' then, an unmeaning appellation applied 
to no less a personage than Oliver Cromwell, who rode into Oxford with a 
single plume in his hat, fastened in a knot, called at the period a 'macaroni.' 
1 Nankee Doodle ' crossed the Atlantic at a convenient time. Then the term 
Yankee, applied originally strictly to a New Englander, was beginning to be 
used colloquially, having been derived from ' Yenghee,' the Indian fashion of 
pronouncing ' English,' when the initial ' N ' in ' Nankee ' in the effusion was 
discontinued and ' Y ' substituted. 

"The tune was adopted by the Revolutionary Colonists more in the 
spirit of retaliation than anything else. When Lord Percy's brigade marched 
out of Boston the bands played ' Yankee Doodle ' as a mark of contempt for 
the inhabitants. But the Colonists uttered a threat, and carried it out, that 
before the war was over Percy's brigade would have to dance to the despised 
tune, and they had to. It has been contended that in 1755 Dr. Shuckburgh 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



399 



wrote 'Yankee Doodle,' but the best authorities are agreed that in its original 
form it was composed to deride Cromwellians. It may be noted that the late 
President Grant was so innocent of music that he only knew two tunes. One 
was ' Yankee Doodle ' and the other wasn't" 

A Missionary Guide. 

Dr. A. J. Diaz, who was appointed as an interpreter on the staff of General 
Miles, Commander-in-Chief of the United States army, and who accompanied 
General Miles in the advance upon Cuba, is well known to Baptists, and has 
an interesting history. He comes of good family and is a graduate of the 
University of Havana. He cast in his lot with the rebellion against Spanish 
rule in Cuba ten or more years ago, and when that effort failed only made his 
escape by throwing himself into the sea, where, on the second day, he was 
picked up by a passing vessel and brought to New York. In New York he 
united with a Baptist church, and finally accepted an appointment under the 
Home Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, with Havana as his head- 
quarters. 

A large theatre was purchased for him in that city, which was arranged 
as a house of worship. He also secured a hospital building for the treatment 
of the sick and a cemetery for burying the dead. Beside these enterprises he 
established and maintained a school for the education of girls. At Havana 
he gathered a church of more than iooo members, and at various places 
throughout Cuba planted missionary stations and churches. 

Under Weyler's regime in Cuba Dr. Diaz was arrested as a sympathizer 
with the insurgents, sent to jail and summarily condemned to death. He 
managed somehow to get a telegram to his friends in America apprising them 
of his condition. These friends called the United States Government to their 
aid, and as he was an American citizen he was released and banished from 
Cuba. Shortly after his enforced return to America he entered the service of 
the American Baptist Publication Society, of Philadelphia, as a manager of 
one of their chapel cars, then in the State of Texas. Subsequently he became 
a Colporteur Missionary of the same society in Mexico. While in the service 
of the Government he still retained his connection with this society, it being 
the understanding that he shall incidentally continue to do missionary work. 
He is thoroughly familiar with the Island of Cuba. 

There was a pleasant little story in Jacksonville as to how the prisoners 
in camp, confined under field court-martial sentences, obtained their freedom 
July 4th. Little Gertrude Hammett, the pretty seven-year-old daughter of a 
citizen here, while playing at home the morning previous, said to her mother : 

" I am so happy now that I wish all my soldier boys to be happy, too. 



400 



STORIES OF THE WAR. 



I am so sorry to see them in jail (guard house), the tents are hot and stuffy 
and I want them out." 

" Why not go and see General Lee?" asked her mother, with a smile, to 
quiet her. 

The little girl jumped up highly elated. " I will see him at once," she 
said. To please the child the mother drove her to the Windsor Hotel. She 
went alone to see General Lee. 

" General Lee," said she with some bashfulness, " I want to get my sol- 
dier boys out of the guard house. They don't like it, these hot days, and 
I'm sure they will be good if you let them out for a Fourth of July present. 
I am so happy that I want my boys to be happy too." 

The General was so pleased with the little girl's eagerness that he sent 
her to General Arnold with a note. The latter thanked the little girl for her 
interest in the soldiers, and at once issued an order that was read that after- 
noon at parade, releasing all soldiers confined for court-martial sentences. 

The soldiers were pleased at this, and during the Fourth they paid their 
little friend many compliments. Whenever she appeared in camp they cheered 
her and called her the " Daughter of the Division." She took it all for granted, 
and when in camp lorded it over the boys with a pretty air that made all of 
them her slaves. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



Stories of the Camp, Battlefield and Hospital. 

HEN a soldier entered the hospital at any of the camps, his clothes 
were all burned, so as to prevent infection. At Camp Wikoff, a 
pathetic incident occurred. One man who had been furloughed 
asked for his clothes and $12 that he had left in his shirt pocket. 
It was all of his funds, and he relied on it to pay his fare home. He was told 
that his clothing had been burned and the $12 also, as no one had thought to 
look in the little pocket. At this news the weak and miserable fellow col- 
lapsed, and it was necessary again to put him on his cot. He was lying semi- 
unconscious, overcome with disappointment and the hopelessness of his posi- 
tion, when a nurse went to his bedside. 

" It was all a mistake about your money being burned," she said, " and 
here it is." 

With that she handed him $12. The poor fellow could not at at first 
realize his good fortune, but finally he smiled and then fell asleep. The nurse 
was Miss Harriet E. Hawley, daughter of General Hawley, United States Sen- 
ator from Connecticut, who cast her lot in the detention hospital when help 
was greatly needed there. The $12 was really burned, and Miss Hawley had 
collected the money from doctors and nurses, subscribing the most herself. 

He is one of the unknown dead. A plain wooden cross marks the grave 
where he lies by his comrades on the hillside overlooking the lake. There 
was none beside him at the last to whom he was anything more than a dying 
soldier ; yet he died with the smile of a hope realized when hope was all but 
gone. From the time he was brought in there was no hope for him. The 
deadly poison that oozes from the Cuban soil had permeated his system. 
They call it pernicious malarial fever. It doesn't matter much what they call 
a hopeless disease. The soldier alternated between unconsciousness and de- 
lirium, and all efforts to find out who he was were unavailing. His one glim- 
mering of reason was when he called in plaintive iteration for his mother. 

" Mother ! mother ! Isn't she coming at all ?" 

Across from him was another soldier suffering from malarial fever in a 
lighter form. His mother had come on from the West, and had found him 
already on the road to recovery. She sat on the edge of his cot, holding his 
hand and talking in low, happy tones. When the surgeon came along on his 
rounds she rose and half turned. The unknown soldier turned on his side 
26 401 



402 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



and saw her standing there. For a moment there could be seen in his eyes 
the struggle of returning consciousness ; then a great peace shone on the 
wasted face. " Mother," he said meekly, "you've come at last." 

The woman turned and saw a stranger feebly holding out his arms to 
her. She stood amazed, but it was only a moment before the mother heart 
comprehended. " Yes, dear boy," she said, softly, " I've come." 

" Lift me up," he said, " I want to go home. You've come to take me 
home ; haven't you, mother ? " 

She stooped over and kissed him, then sat on the edge of the cot and 
took the emaciated form in her arms. He leaned back, his eyes closed, and 
he smiled. But soon he opened his eyes again. 

" I don't believe I can go," he whispered. " Don't you mind, mother ; 
but — I — don't — believe — I — can — go." 

His breathing grew slower and softer. His head dropped back, and he 
half turned in the woman's arms. " I've longed for you so, mother," he said, 
and died. 

The woman laid the body down and went back to her own son. 

Quizzed the Wrong Soldier. 

The soldier boys who were sent to Montauk Point got anything but a 
cheering first impression of the place. An arid stretch of sand, dotted with 
tents and a few rough buildings were all that could be seen. At the station 
the returning soldier saw a crowd, but that crowd was in no ways interested 
in him or in the company of which he was a member. In other places he had 
been accustomed to some little attention and notice, as an integer of the 
military organization, but at Camp WikofT where everything was military and 
the civilian the noticeable exception, nobody turned around to look at him. 
After clambering down the sandy embankment he and his companions fall 
in " and wait while their commanding officer hustles around for instructions. 
The soldiers look about them and their hearts sink, for the camp itself is 
hidden beyond the line of hills, and what they see is as unattractive a centre 
of activity as ever sprung up from nothing in a few days. Such of the Camp 
WikofT soldiers as deign to say anything to them do not furnish encouragement. 

" Better write home to your folks, Johnny," is the remark that one man 
tosses at them over his shoulder. "You may not get another chance." 

" Hope you brought plenty of grub," says another. " You'll only get 
one meal a day here." 

" You chaps have got a nice place for a camp," says a third. " Right in 
the middle of a swamp." 

" Well, the burying ground is handy by," remarks another, reassuringly, 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



403 



Longer and longer grow the faces of the new men, and they begin to 
grumble among themselves, for they don't understand that they are being 
" jollied," and that if matters were really in bad condition these experienced 
soldiers would never say a word to them about it. Should they happen to 
encounter a departing regiment on its way to the station with sick in ambu- 
lances and wagons, and its convalescents trailing out behind, the sight will 
not cheer them, for they attribute the condition of the men to the nature of 
this camp instead of to its real cause, the devastating Cuban climate, from 
which the Northern men recover so slowly. 

As soon as they get started, however, and from a rise in the road look 
out across Fort Pond to the ocean beyond and see the orderly lines of tents 
and breathe in the fresh ocean air, they begin to feel better and to realize 
that their trip here is a change for the better. On the bluff just west of 
Newspaper Row is a new encampment which rejoices in as pleasant a site as 
can be found on Montauk Point. After passing through the hands of the 
Job's comforters at the station they marched up here as if they were going to 
their own funerals. Later, when in the surf, a more light-hearted aggrega- 
tion it would not be possible to imagine. 

" Call this military duty ? " cried one of them as he rode in on the top of 
a big wave. " Why, this is a blooming picnic ! " 

The Soldier's Hardships. 

Occasionally it happened that the "jolliers" at the station got hold of 
the wrong men. A small detachment of regulars came in one day, most of 
them seasoned veterans, and two young cavalrymen rode up and proceeded 
to try them out. 

" Say, Buddy," said one of them to any one who chose to consider him- 
self addressed, " did you bring heaps of grub ? " 

" Cause they don't feed new men here," said the other. " Ain't got 
'nough grub for us fellows that's here right along." 

" You want long-legged cots, too," remarked the first. " If your cot 
ain't on stilts it'll sink in the swamp and let you into the water." 

After this sort of thing had gone on for about five minutes a Corporal of 
the incoming company turned and scanned the two cavalrymen intently. 

" Sickly looking whelps, Con/' he observed to the man next to him. 

" Ain't they ! " said Con, cheerfully. " Wonder how they ever got into 
the army ! " 

" Say, you," said the Sergeant, pointing a thick finger at the cavalryman, 
"you measly, yellow-faced, ague-shiverin', bony, washed-out sand-peeps, you 
don't know when you're well off. Where we've been livin' we ate pine needles 



404 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



with sand on the side. We slept in the mud by the lakeside an' when we 
were cold we pulled the waves up over us. This place here is Coney Island 
and the Waldorf House rolled into one, for us, and next week me and my 
bunkie '11 come around and dance jig-steps on your grave." 

The cavalrymen looked at each other and passed on. 

At Camp Alger, a visitor going through the company streets was apt to 
hear some choice effects like this : 

" Who found the cow ? " one chap would howl. 

" Twenty-second Kansas " was the answer from another group. 

" Who killed the cow?" 

" First Rhode Island ! " 

" Who ate the cow ? " 

" Sixth Pennsylvania ! " 

A Third New York man, who claimed to have helped the Sixth eat it, 
and said it was good, told this story : 

" It was while we were — well, before we started for Bristow last week. 
Some nature-loving Kansans were out viewing the scenery, and came across a 
cow in the woods. It was a lost cow, and they were sorry for it — better dead, 
they said, than live in a country where there's nothing to eat or drink, and, 
leaving one of their number on guard, they went back for the axe and things. 

" Meanwhile, a squad of Rhode Islanders, with axes, ' out for wood,' 
came, and to make sure the killing was humanely done, did it themselves, 
and leaving their guard over the remains, went to camp for knives and things. 
Next came the Sixth Pennsylvania, who, to save it from spoiling, shouldered 
the carcass ' they had found,' carried it into their camp and dined that day. 

" But they paid for it. Next day in the march to Bristow the Rhode 
Island boys were on guard, and the Sixth were kept in line at the point of the 
bayonet, if need be. Not a drop of water could they have had if the wayside 
had been rivers, and, the story was, that two miles march out of the way was 
from the direction the Tittle Rhodys gave to the leaders." 

Troopers and Their Horses. 

The Troopers at Camp Wikoff, at Montauk Point, managed to extract 
considerable amusement out of the camp routine. They evidence a keen 
liking to get " tenderfeet" upon their arrival. 

" That horse? Why, he's gentle as a lamb. Needn't be afraid of him." 

This was the invariable recommendation given by the trooper to his 
horse or anybody else's horse upon whom he seeks to mount the unsuspect- 
ing stranger. Other troopers stand about and say: " Sure, he wouldn't hurt 
nobody." 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



405 



As for the horse, he stands with mild eyes and drooping ears, the picture 
of equine respectability, until he feels a strange form in the saddle and a 
strange hand on the bridle. Then up go his ears, the eyes widen and the 
animal begins to prance and waltz. Woe to the stranger then if he be not an 
experienced horseman. He will do well to slip off any way so that he lands 
on his feet before he is shunted off upon his head. 

But if he maintains his position successfully for the space of a minute 
and a 'half the horse will understand that the rider knows his business, for 
he is usually an intelligent beast, and will behave himself thenceforward in a 
circumspect manner. There were cavalry horses that were really mild-man- 
nered, but they were scarce, and by no means popular. The trooper wants 
an animal with some life in him, and if he is a little flighty or vicious into the 
bargain, it makes no particular difference, for the cavalryman is commonly 
imbued with the idea that he can boss any horse that ever tried to turn hand- 
springs with the rider in the saddle. Also he is almost invariably eager to 
have any friends who come around try the animal's pace. If the friend pro- 
tests that he isn't a horseman, the assurance regarding the mount's pacific 
nature is immediately forthcoming. 

Jackies on Bronchoes. 

When the monitor Jason was at the camp the jackies got shore leave 
and proceeded to fraternize with the cavalrymen. It wasn't long before there 
were sailor boys all over the place, their wide white trousers flapping sharply 
against the flanks of their horses as they sped along the roads or across the 
country. Some could ride and more couldn't, but a life on the ocean wave 
teaches Jack that the first law of nature is to hang on tight, and the sailors 
hung on — some to the neck of the horse, some to the pommel of the saddle, 
some to the jerking reins, thereby inviting the animal to fresh endeavors. 
Occasionally a horse would go galloping past with a terrified, but determined 
sailor boy in the saddle and a trooper on behind, digging the animal in the 
ribs to keep him going. 

One such combination came to gritf in a ditch, for when the seaman 
observed the ditch looming up ahead his courage deserted him, and with a 
yell he swung around in the saddle and clasped his companion around the 
neck, whereupon both fell off. The horse, relieved of the burden, galloped 
gayly on and turned up at his quarters that night. Another jacky the same 
day furnished entertainment for the soldiers by hanging to the neck of his 
steed and alternately yelling " Back Water ! " to the animal and appealing to 
whomsoever he passed : 

" Hey ! how do you steer the blasted craft ? " 



406 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



Some few horses were reported to the Provost Marshal as missing, but 
nearly all of them were recovered by that officer, who, with his men, formed 
a highly efficient detective service. In all cases it appeared that the horse 
either got loose or was taken by mistake. Horse stealing did not flourish, 
though the opportunities would seem to be unlimited, as the men simply tied 
their horses at the rack near the station or at the hospital or wherever they 
chanced to have business and left them there unguarded for hours. There 
were, however, few animals without brands, which was in itself a vital dis- 
couragement to the horse-stealing business. 

But though a man's horse was safe, the saddle and bridle were regarded 
by the trooper as his rightful prey, when found unguarded ; much as an 
umbrella is regarded in city communities. To acquire a saddle and bridle 
without payment was a fine joke. To the owner thereof the joke may not 
have been quite so apparent, as this outfit cost $18.50. It must not be sup- 
posed that the troopers went around to the racks where the horses were 
hitched and coolly stripped them of their trappings. This would not be 
etiquette, nor would it be safe. It was the wandering horse that lost his out- 
fit, and there were many wandering horses, for the cavalry steed is an adept 
at getting loose by a process in the performance of which nobody ever dis- 
covers him. A double slip noose would seem to be a sufficient guarantee of 
stability, but it isn't. 

Horses Got Well Quickly. 

When a horse wanders with his saddle and bridle the loss of these equip- 
ments is considered a proper penalty for the owner's carelessness. He was a 
foolish man, too, who left his horse out after 9 o'clock at night saddled and 
bridled. The chances were that, unless he kept a sharp watch, he would be 
out the value of $18.50. The average soldier had no conscience in this mat- 
ter. A trooper who, if he found your purse with $500 in it would return it 
to you intact would steal your saddle and bridle the next hour and think 
himself none the worse for it. He does not steal it to sell it, but to keep 
against the time when somebody steals his, and if the feelings of the owner 
arouse compassion he soothes his sensibilities by the reflection that the loser 
can go and steal somebody else's horse outfit. 

From the arrival of the troops in camp the horses picked up much quicker 
than the men. To the good air and fine grazing ground this was due. Mon- 
tauk Point had been used chiefly as a grazing ground, and thousands upon 
thousands of heads of cattle grew fat on the juicy herbage, their owners pay- 
ing a small rent for the grazing privileges. All this grass was at the disposal 
of the army horses, who got pretty short rations much of the time in the 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



407 



South. Few horses went to Cuba, as there were no adequate means of trans- 
portation, but those that did go had the advantage over their companions w 7 ho 
stayed at Tampa and Fernandina. 

" The death rate there among the cavalry animals was extremely high in 
most of the regiments. Many of the horses swallowed quantities of sand in graz- 
ing on the juiceless sand grasses and died from that. Many others died of heat 
prostration. Almost all were more or less blistered on the back by the in- 
tense heat, and these blisters often formed sores which finally rendered the 
horse useless. The Tenth Cavalry suffered smaller loss than any other regi- 
ment there, mainly because their veterinarian, who is an experienced hand 
in the management of army horses, having been in the civil war in that ca- 
pacity, insisted on light work and the best care for them. As soon as a horse 
showed the least sign of sickness or weariness he was relieved of all work and 
turned loose to pick what he could in that arid country. The result was that 
the Tenth lost only one-eighth as many horses as the average of the other 
regiments encamped near them, and it came north with as sturdy-looking a 
lot of animals as one would wish to see. 

Heroism in Camp. 

Camp life sometimes furnished some opportunities for heroism, as great, 
if not so glorious, as the field of battle. Robert Peter, a private in Company 
A, Third New Jersey Volunteers, came face to face with a dangerous situa- 
tion, and demonstrated that he is made of the material that gives us our 
heroes. During a heavy thunder storm one day a pier at Sandy Hook was 
set on fire. At the pier was moored a float loaded with high explosives. 
Peter realized that a destructive explosion was imminent unless the float was 
removed to a place of safety. On the pier were two mines, each containing 
102 pounds of dynamite, which further added to the danger of the situation. 

Peter discovered the fire when the tongues of flame were almost licking 
the barge. He ran to Lieutenant McGregor, of the .Engineer Corps, and 
breathlessly exclaimed : — " Lieutenant, the pier is on fire. The float, with 
explosives, is fastened there." 

" Yes, I know it," the Lieutenant replied, "but the fire has made such 
progress that nothing can be done — " 

" Yes, something can be done," Peter replied, saluting. " We can cut 
the hawsers and set the float adrift." 

" That's impossible," the Lieutenant replied. " It would mean death to 
the man who attempted it." 

" Can't I have permission, sir," the private pleaded, "to cut the ropes 
and save the float ? " 



408 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



Lieutenant McGregor hesitated, and Peter continued : " Give the order, 
sir, I'll do the job." 

" No, I shall give no orders to that effect," the Lieutenant replied. 

Peter only listened long enough to understand no order would be given 
and then determined to act. He got Arthur Crowell and Thomas Ortell to 
come to his assistance. 

Peter leading the way, the three men ran on to the pier with open knives in 
their hands. They threw themselves on the string-pieces and began hacking at 
the hawsers that held the float. One after another the severed ropes dropped 
into the water, and the float, released, moved silently out of danger. 

Then the three men ran for their lives. The float was at a safe distance 
when suddenly there was a terrific explosion. The dynamite bombs had ex- 
ploded and the heavens were lighted with a blinding flash. Peter and his 
two comrades were safe ; so, too, was the float and its cargo. 

Faced Death Three Times* 

Peter was born in Dundee, Scotland, on November 30th. 1863. He 
would have joined the British army when he was seventeen years old, but 
his parents objected and pleaded with him not to. It was his mother's en- 
treaties thai led Peter to say : " All right, mother, I won't join the army 
but I would like to become a soldier." 

Peter faced death three times. His life was nearly crushed out a few 
years ago when he stopped a runaway, to save from harm, perhaps death, 
two women who were taking an afternoon drive. Peter has a scar on one of 
his cheeks. It was caused by a bullet. 

On the day before his departure for Manila, Brigadier General Harrison 
G. Otis had occasion to visit the headquarters of the Seventh California Regi- 
ment. Now, it should be understood, for the better appreciation of this story, 
that the Seventh hails from Southern California, and that Los Angeles of 
that section afso has the distinction of being the home of General Otis. It 
should also be understood that the general is recognized down there as a — 
weli, his friends refer to him as a statesman, while his enemies allude to him 
as a politician. These facts being understood, the story may go right on 
just as if nothing had happened. 

General Otis, clad in that military splendor of costume which Solomon 
and his lilies knew not, approached the guard and the guard knew him. Now 
it was the duty of the sentry in a case where the camp was thus honored to 
announce the fact in the following words : 

6i General officer ! Turn out the guard." 

But General Otis still was a little distance away and the sentry thought 
he could safely vary the form of the words a little. He did so : 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



409 



" Here comes the main guy. Turn out the push ! " 

That was what he said, and that was what the general heard. But the 
latter was equal to the occasion. 

" Never mind the push," he said ; " the main guy says nit." 
But, just the same, the push turned out to meet the main guy. 

The Jelly Went Astray. 

A Wisconsin regular, who was among the convalescents at the Medico- 
Chirurgical Hospital, Philadelphia, related an incident that bore out the charge 
that supplies sent to individual soldiers in service at Santiago and in Porto 
Rico did not always reach the destination intended. This soldier while at 
Santiago wrote home and was gratified to learn that a box of jellies had been 
sent to him in care of his regiment. The box was watched for eagerly, but it 
never showed up. 

A few days before he left Santiago to come home he went into a store 
and purchased a glass of jelly which attracted his attention because of its 
having been put up in truly royal style. The price paid was ninety cents. On 
leaving the store the soldier happened to turn the glass upside down, and there 
written on a scrap of paper and pasted on the bottom was his mother's name. 
The poor fellow had paid ninety cents for a fragment of what should have 
reached him days before. 

Among the volunteer regiments called out for service in this war was one 
very good one from Ohio, the men of which had never seen military leggings 
before. The regulation doboy leggings were issued to them, and they put 
them on — all with the lacings on the inside of the legs ! The result was that, 
as they marched out for parade, the looped lacings on each leg caught on the 
hooks of the leggings on the other leg, tripping some of the men up com- 
pletely and making most of the rest stumble comically at every few steps. 
The volunteer colonel thought that the whole regiment was drunk, and was 
in a state of mingled rage and consternation, which added greatly to the 
interest of the occasion. 

A thousand pens were busy describing the sad sides of Montauk camp, 
but it should not be forgotten that even at the bedside of the sick there were 
happy exhibitions of camp philosophy, the memory of which must furnish 
amusement at many a fireside where the brave boys are once more among 
their friends. 

From the soldier in the band of whose army hat was stuck his tooth-brush, 
bearing upon its handle, in bold, black letters, the admonition, " Don't lose 
me, Charlie," to the Virginia soldier in Ward O, whose remonstrance to his 
wife, who was rubbing his thin body with alcohol, was, " Hold on, Anna! 



410 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



Look out for those ribs. You ain't rubbin' on your washboard! " one found 
a tendency, on the part of even very sick men, to see the bright side and 
make light of the sufferings they bore willingly for love of the flag. 

There were many curious characters to be seen at Camp YYikoff. Not 
the least of these was u Bang." That was the name he went by in Company 
I, of the Rough Riders. Before his enlistment he was a chemist, and sol- 
diering did not alienate his affections from his old pursuits. His tent was the 
scene of many an experiment, and in the peaceful evenings, when he had time 
to devote himself to his chemicals, the spectacle of his bunkie emerging from 
the tent with smouldering night-shirt, pursued by a burst of composite flame, 
was by no means infrequent. Later came the experimenter himself, with 
hair and eyebrows singed, somewhat pained and very apologetic. 

A Chemist in Gamp. 

The regiment hadn't been in camp five days before the chemical trooper 
had supplied himself with all kinds of vials, retorts, graduated glasses and a con- 
siderable assortment of chemicals, the labels of most of which were washed off 
by the rain, which may account for results. The very evening that the ship- 
ment arrived he utilized the opportunity of solitude in his tent, while his 
bunkie was in another man's quarters, to mix himself a fancy concoction 
of acids and precipitants and alkalies and other substances which go to 
make the life of the chemist an exciting one. 

There was a loud explosion, and he exuded informally from the rear of 
the tent in a blaze of red flame, " like a fancy devil straight from hell," as 
Bunkie unfeelingly observed. After the third explosion the company nick- 
named him a Bang," and the name spread. It also became customary to 
greet him, upon meeting, with the polite inquiry: 

" Had any arms or legs blown off to-day? " 

For some time his tentmate endured with patience, but having sacri- 
ficed most of his spare clothing in the cause of science, he exacted a promise 
from Bang that thereafter all clothing should be removed from the tent when- 
ever an experiment was going to be undertaken, a condition to which the 
chemist agreed with a sigh. Xext the other trooper sought to interest his 
companion in botany, thinking to draw his mind from the other pursuit, and 
in an unlucky moment called his attention to the wild arsenic plant, which 
grows abundantly hereabouts. 

" Green fire from Bang's tent to-night," was the rumor that went through 
the company, and a small crowd gathered at a respectful distance to await 
results. 

" Come in and watch, boys/' said the chemist. " This is entirely harm- 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



411 



less. Can't possibly explode. It isn't the very best arsenic, because I haven't 
got the appliances, but it's pretty good." 

He pointed to a mass of green liquid in a sort of frying-pan, and as the 
circle drew near, a pan of witches' broth, which had been simmering near 
by, exploded, scattering the arsenic in splotches over everything. The burs 
for freedom nearly tore down the tent, and green-spotted troopers tore through 
the company streets with whoops of dismay, and Bang in pursuit, vehemently 
explaining that it wasn't the arsenic that had exploded, but another mixture. 

Tale of a Typewriter. 

A typewriter belonging to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the 
innocent cause of a court-martial of one of Uncle Sam's commissioned officers. 
First Lieutenant Weller E. Stover, Company C, Eighth Pennsylvania Infantry, 
of Chambersburg, had been, prior to his enlistment, instructor at the Scotland 
Soldiers' Orphan Industrial School of Stenography and Typewriting. While 
his regiment was at Camp Alger he was appointed Acting Adjutant, and bor- 
rowed from Gen. Frank J. Magee, the superintendent of the school, the type- 
writing machine to facilitate the work of that office. After the troops had 
been removed to Camp Meade, the Lieutenant declined promotion to the 
position of adjutant, and John G. Gilbert, a Harrisburg lawyer, succeeded 
him. 

Stover returned to his company, and, as the Scotland School authorities 
had need of and asked for the return of the typewriter, he arranged to send it 
to them, consulting General Gobin, Vice-President of the Orphan School 
Commission, in relation thereto. The new adjutant, desiring the use of the 
machine in making out his pay rolls, sent an orderly to Stover for it, telling 
him it was to be sent home. Stover refused to deliver. Then the orderly 
returned with an order from Colonel Hoffman for the machine, to receive the 
same answer. The next order put Stover under arrest, and took his sword 
from him. The charge against him was violation of No. 21 of the Articles of 
War, the maximum penalty for which is death. The court-martial extended 
over three days, and General Gobin was called for the plaintiff, but proved the 
best witness for the defence. Lieutenant Stover was his own counsel He 
was acquitted, and went again on duty. The typewriter was again at the 
Scotland School. 

Here is a moving letter from a young woman, describing what she saw 
at Montauk in her search for a brother, who had enlisted in the Seventy-first 
New York Regiment : 

" Easthampton, Long Island, August 23, 1898. — My Dear Mrs. : I 

am afraid I shall scare you with a long letter this time, for I have lots to 



412 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



write. I thought you would be interested to hear about Jack, and what I saw 
at Montauk. Sunday we got a telegram from Jack, saying he was out of 
detention camp, and we could see him. We went up Monday morning. 

Mamma and and I drove from here — twenty miles — and the rest went 

by train. We were told, for heaven's sake, not to go without taking some- 
thing, and we loaded up the carriage with bread and hard-boiled eggs and 
fruit, and forty or fifty sandwiches, as well as some dozens of handkerchiefs 
and socks and towels. We were glad we had done so. When we got within 
a mile or so of the camp, we began to meet soldiers, both regulars and volun- 
teers. The first I saw was a young boy — he could not have reached eighteen 
years — who was leaning against the fence. He was white as death, thin, with 
dark lines under his eyes. 

" I called to him, and he came walking over — not walking, shuffling, like 
an old man. 'I'm awful hungry,' he said, when I asked him. His voice was 
low and weak, and he steadied himself against the carriage as he spoke. We 
gave him a good meal to take away with him. He wanted to pay us. * * * 

" They tell me the suffering in the regulars' camps, is as great as, or 
greater, than that in the volunteers'; but I can't say myself, for I did not go 
beyond the lines of the Seventy-first. I saw enough there. Men lying in 
their tents so w r eak that they cannot drag their canteens toward them, though 
they are frantic for water. Men. aching in every bone, who have to lie on 
the bare ground, with nothing but a poncho under them. 

Wasted, by Disease. 

" Many of their blankets were stolen by the Cubans, and they have had 
no others issued to them. Big six-foot bearded fellows, so weakened by star- 
vation and illness, that they burst into tears at a kind word or action. Boys 
sitting outside their tents with a look on their faces it is terrible to see— a 
fixed, blank look that asks nothing, but tells an awful story of suffering and 
despair. It is fearful. 

" We passed on, more and more sick at heart, until we reached Jack's 
company. I asked the first man I saw if he were there, and he said yes, and 
called his name. From in front of one of the tents, a tall, thin, shaky figure 
got slowly up and came toward us. I thought, ' Good heavens, I hope that's 
not Jack !' 

" It was Jack. 

" We rushed up to him, and he caught hold of us, as though he would 
never let go again. Mamma came up just then, and Jack smiled at her, and 
the next moment rolled over at our feet in a dead faint. 

" A dozen men were around us at once, and they bathed Jack's head and 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



413 



gave him brandy, and tried to cheer us up. But it was long before we could 
bring him to. Then the men carried him to the carriage, and told us to drive 
him up to the hospital and make the Major there give him leave. It was two 
miles there, and a rough drive, but mamma succeeded in getting thirty days' 
furlough, as soon as the surgeon saw him, and I stayed back, and the rest 
came up just at that moment. 

u We spent the time doing what we could for some of the sick men- 
Jack was a well man, and was to go on guard that night. He had almost 
died of fever in Cuba, and if it had not been for Dr. Froelich he would have 
been left behind — forever. He had frightful chills and fever on the boat 
coming home. Before that he had bloody dysentery. The men told us that 
he worked so hard nursing his tentmates who fell ill first that he made himself 
much worse. They said that long after he ought not to have stood up, he 
was working over them night and day, and would not give up. When they 
were out of danger, he collapsed. I told you I felt sure he was ill, you 
remember, 

" Well, we got him home, and he fainted four times — though not such a 
faint as the first — before we could get him into bed. ■ There he has been ever 
since, and the doctor fears it will be weeks before he can get up. The men's 
vitality has gone. They are wrecks. And there was no finer, healthier young 
fellow on earth than Jack four months ago. 

Cure for Impoliteness. 

" Captain , of Jack's company, came up just as Jack fainted. 

" ' That's nothing,' he said, 1 he isn't sick; its just the excitement. He's 
perfectly well.' 

" I looked at him. He was stout and rosy and healthy, comfortably but- 
toned up in a new uniform. Around him stood a group of pale, sick fellows 
dirty, unshaven, hollow-eyed, and terribly thin — his men. 

" 1 We suffered awfully,' he remarked, smiling at me. 

" 'Yes, the men have,' I answered, and turned my back on him. 

" He walked off ; but one of the men came up and told me not to make 
the brute angry, or he would find some way to keep Jack back. ' And he will 
take it out on us, anyway,' he added. 

" I can tell you that frightened me, and I was polite enough after that, and 
left him in a beaming humor. He looked over what we had brought, and said 
he thought he'd take a watermelon we had there, and also a box of small 
cakes. These he put under his arm. Afterward one of the boys came and 
said he had requisitioned most of the towels and handkerchiefs for himself, 
saying they were too good for the men. 



414 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



" I left him with mamma, who could keep up the game. I was afraid I 
should say something true if I stayed longer. He wanted me to come up to 
his tent, but I would not have entered it for anything on earth. Mamma 
went, and took the paper for him to sign, so that Jack could go. He had a 
beautiful big tent, board floor, nice cot, with all the trimmings, and at least 
four blankets, mamma said. 

" Jack lay on the bare ground, as he had given his blanket to his tent- 
mate, who was sicker than he, and had lost his in Cuba. The boys had their 
winter uniforms all during the campaign there, and were given their present 
thin ones on the boat. So they nearly freeze at Montauk, which is a very 
cool place. 

" Jack and some other men spent Saturday morning — the day they got 
out of the detention camp — in taking the board floors of the officers up a hill 
and back again, You can imagine how weak Jack was, and the rest weren't 
very much better. They were detailed to lug sections of floor, which are very 
heavy, up this hill and make the platforms. 

" They finished this and then received the order to take them back again; 
that the officers weren't' satisfied with that kind. They got them back, and 
Jack said he went to his tent and fell into it, exhausted. In about ten minutes 
came the order for the detail to fall in and bring those tent floors back up the 
hill again. This was the morning. 

Absurdities of Red Tape. 

" The night before and most of the preceding day Jack had been taking 
care of one of his tentmates, who was dying of exhaustion. On the afternoon 
of this day Jack feared the boy would die any moment, if he couldn't be taken 
to the hospital, two miles off. There was no ambulance to be had, and so 
Jack asked the Captain if he and some other men could not carry the boy up 
on a stretcher. This they did, with infinite toil. They came back with almost 
as heavy a load of medicine, and it was late at night before they got back to 
camp. 

"Later. — The doctor tells us that if we had not brought Jack back the 
day we did, we would probably never have brought him home at all. And to 
think that there are hundreds and hundreds as badly off as Jack, and who 
cannot get off. They are afraid to muster out the regiments who have been 
through that Cuban campaign. They are afraid of what the boys are going 
to say. 

" The horror of some of the men for their officers and the camp amounts 
almost to a mania. Jack says that after the fighting, when they had been a 
long time without food, the quartermaster at last gave out some hardtack, but 



STORIES OF THE CAMP. 



415 



very little, so that the famished men were still frantic for more food. There 
was a lot of hardtack left — they got nothing else — and the men went back and 
asked for more. The quartermaster refused to give them any. 

" 'Go to the Captain, if you aren't satisfied — he'll settle you,' he remarked. 

"Jack, his tentmate (the man who is now dying), and some others went 
to the Captain. This was his reply : 

" ' You clear out of here quick. If I hear any more oi 

this talk I'll put you all on little hardtack and water, and nothing else.' 

So they kept on starving. 

" Later. — I have been off tending to Jack. He fainted again. His 
weakness is something terrifying." 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



Vivid Account of the Siege of Santiago. 

ERY few stories are of greater interest than that contained in the 
following letter to a friend, written by a Spanish woman, who was 
in Santiago during the time it was besieged by the American 
forces. The terror and sufferings of the imprisoned inhabitants 
are vividly portrayed ; and while the writer's family fared much better than 
the people in general, yet its members were harassed by fear and anxiety, 
had insufficient food, and underwent thrilling experiences. Her letter is as 
follows : 

" Dear E. : I will endeavor to tell you in this letter all that happened to 
us while the city was besieged, and the stirring though bitter days we passed 
before it was finally surrendered. 

"On May 18th, there was some firing upon the Morro by one or two 
small auxiliary vessels of the American navy. However, no harm was done. 
On the following day, and very early in the morning, the first division of the 
Spanish fleet steamed into the harbor, and a few days after American war 
ships began to dot the waters off Santiago. They did not attempt to fire upon 
the shore batteries until the 30th day of the month, at two o'clock in the 
atternoon, the fire lasting about three-quarters of an hour. For a time there 
was a shower of projectiles upon the bay, since all were directed upon the 
war ships anchored near the mouth of the harbor. The latter did not go out 
to give battle, because the Spaniards were 'all cowards/— so the brave 
Cubans said. 

" There was no more firing after this until June 4th or 5th, and then it 
was very light. We were all up early on the morning of the 6th, and as I was 
about to serve breakfast, as usual, at eight o'clock, we heard the booming of 
heavy artillery, but so consecutive and long that it seemed to us like the pro- 
longed peals of thunder we hear so often in this country. The firing lasted 
about two hours and a half, and was resumed in the afternoon from one till 
two. It was the first real heavy engagement I had ever heard, and it was 
terrible and awe-inspiring beyond description. 

" The shells were all directed at the Morro Aguadores, Socapa, Punta 
Gorda and the war ships. The projectiles, of heavy calibre, were falling all 
around the ships, though by good fortune none struck them, and no guns 
were dismounted on the shore batteries. They estimated that the Americans 
416 




WITH THE BESIEGED. 



417 



fired about two thousand shots that day, though it seemed much more to me. 
In this engagement the second commander of the Reina Mercedes was killed, 
with six of his marines, while many more were injured. These were the first 
victims of the war. 

" A few days after this attack, which was the worst that the shore bat- 
teries sustained, we were informed that there had been some lively firing at 
four o'clock that morning, though we heard nothing. Father hurried out, and 
on returning told us that an American collier had forced its way into the en- 
trance, under cover of the night, though she was sunk immediately after. No 
lives were lost, and an officer and several sailors of the vessel were picked up 
and taken prisoners. 

" After this day we could hear firing about midnight now and then, and 
we got quite accustomed to the sound, for one will get used to anything, 
though at first we suffered greatly, thinking of our own danger and that of the 
poor unfortunate ones who were exposed to so terrible a fire. 

Sinking the Merrimac. 

" From about the middle to the 20th of June we were awakened every 
morning about five or six o'clock by the booming of cannon. After a few days 
of such nervous excitement I grew so faint that I could scarcely bear to hear 
the roar of artillery without thinking that I would go insane. Imagine my 
condition when we heard the news that the food supply was giving out, and I 
could see the poor thronging the streets, at first asking for alms and then 
demanding food with the desperation of hunger. At home, we only had one 
meal a day, and at first I thought that I could hold out but a few days more 
of this agony. 

" One must find himself in a besieged city with scarcity of food, with less 
hope of getting more, and the roar of artillery to be soothed by, to realize 
what the sensation is. 

"I think it was on the 19th or 20th we were told that there were about 
sixty-three vessels now before us, and we instantly realized that an army of 
invasion would soon co-operate with the fleet. The next day they disap- 
peared, only to return again on the 23d, if I remember correctly. All the 
morning of that day the squadron bombarded the batteries of Aguadores to 
protect the disembarking of the forces. General Linares retreated with his 
troops, since there was no defence possible against the firing of the American 
fleet. He was greatly criticised for this move, especially as he did not destroy 
the dock at Baiquiri, since this allowed the enemy to disembark with all ease 
and comfort. Nobody slept that night, for it seemed to us that the attack on 
the city would follow immediately. 
27 



418 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



" On the 24th we had our usual ' birthday party,' and B — — - and E — 

came to breakfast with us. A real party it seemed indeed, for we had bread 
that father procured I know not where, for hardtack was the best we had seer 
for many days. We heard firing that day in the direction of Firmeza, though 
very distant. 

" The next day we knew that a force of Yankees had exchanged fire with 
he Spanish troops, though nothing was gained. 

" From the 24th to the 30th we heard no firing whatever, yet in spite of 
all this I could not sleep well till early in the mornings. I could hear the clock 
strike the hours every night till three. Of news items we had more than 
plenty, serving only to alarm the people. ' Perhaps to-day the Yankees will 
enter the city, perhaps to-morrow,' etc. However, I knew well that before the 
invading army could enter there would have to be a desperate struggle. 

Attack on El Caney. 

"The morning of July 1st, about five o'clock, we commenced to hear 
volleys. It was one of the most beautiful mornings imaginable, and it seemed 
impossible that men could be striving to take each other's lives on such a day. 
We found out that the fire was going on about El Caney, and we anxiously 
awaited any news that might tell how the fray was progressing. About half- 
past eight or nine that morning we noticed an unusual movement and stirring 
on the streets, and later we could hear blasts of cornets as the trumpeters 
upon the corners called the various corps of volunteers to assemble. 

" Then I felt the worst was yet to come. The volleys seemed to be 
nearer and nearer, and soon we heard the roar of artillery on land. By ten 
o'clock the firing was quite heavy, and we did nothing but rush constantly to 
the windows ; everybody was excited and restless, and from that moment the 
paralyzation of Santiago commenced ; everything was chaos. 

" Once when I went to the window I heard a passerby remark that a 
shell had dropped in the Plaza de Armas. It startled me greatly, and by and 
by we found out that a shell had fallen on the Igelsia del Carmen, but fortu- 
nately it did not explode, while the damages were very slight. H was at 

the time with the French Consul and their colony, in the house next to the 
church, and had the shell exploded there would have been a fearful disaster, 
for very many were collected there. 

" We were all worked up to the greatest excitement when the firing 
ceased ; we made the best of the temporary silence and had a hurried break- 
fast. We had just finished, and it must have been about noon, when once 
more the firing commenced on land, accompanied by the heavy guns of the 
fleet directed at the city. I was at the time in the patio, wiping the 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



419 



dishes, when I heard a fearful roar and a shower of projectiles screamed 
over me. 

" The children commenced to cry, the older people seemed to loose all their 
calm, and you can imagine the effect it all had on my poor nerves. I cannot 
describe the sensation, and only one who has been for hours under a heavy 
fire can form any opinion of the terrible moments that we passed that afternoon. 

" The volunteers who took part in that day's engagement conducted 
themselves with valor, and much credit is due to them for exposing their lives 
and all they had to defend a land that was not their mother country. One 
thousand marines and sailors from the war vessels also took part in the fray, 
under the command of the principal officers of the fleet. 

" At dusk the firing ceased, and we tried to have some supper, though 
our appetites were not of the best. Every sound seemed to us the roar of 
fire-arms; the slamming of a door, the fall of a chair, etc., all tended to excite 
my nerves in a way that I cannot describe. 

Nights Without Sleep. 

" At ten o'clock we retired, with the exception of father, who had gone 
out to obtain particulars, and on his returning we found out some of the re- 
sults of the day's engagement. General Vara del Rey, Colonel Rubin and 
many officers were killed, while Zustamante (the inventor of the torpedoes 
of that name), the commander of the naval forces, and General Linares, the 
Military Governor of Santiago, were wounded. 

" From that day to the 5th I scarcely slept a wink. We passed that 
night without being disturbed, and on the morning of the 2d, I think it was 
about five o'clock, we commenced to hear volley after volley, and soon shells 
were whistling over the houses. We all got up as rapidly as possible, and 
from the windows we could see the frightened people hurrying through the 
streets, telling of the misfortunes that had befallen their homes by bursting 
bombs. Fortunately the artillery fire against the city was of short duration, 
though it continued for more than an hour against the Morro. 

"After that all was quiet again until about ten o'clock, when the excite- 
ment on the streets once more arose, and this time it was indeed a panic. 
Nobody could tell what had happened, yet all hurried to and fro, not knowing 
whither they were going or what they intended doing. At length we found 
out that a rumor was circulated that the American fleet was going to bom- 
bard the city at half-past ten ; that the admiral had notified the consuls, and 
that the French Consul was already calling his subjects, prior to their de- 
parture on a special express train. 

" Father arrived at this time, and told us he had heard the rumor, but 



420 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



discredited it, since no such measure could be taken until the city actually 
fell into the hands of the invaders. At any rate, if the rumor should prove 
true, there was very little time to lose. We fixed up a little, got together one 
change of clothing, something to eat, and got ready to go — where ? That 
was indeed the question. Father knew not which way to go. It was enough 
to drive anybody crazy. 

Panic in the Streets. 

" Meanwhile the panic-stricken people flocked through the streets like 
frightened sheep. People sick with high fever were there; women weak from 
malaria and dysentery dragged themselves along with the ' drove.' I asked 
many if they credited the rumor, and all I got in reply was ' Quien sabe ? 1 
At this moment the chief of police and a large body of guards appeared on 
the scene, and after much trouble succeeded in quieting all, telling them it 
was simply the work of the French Consul and certain evil-doers. The fact 
is that the former was the cause of all the disturbance, though perhaps with- 
out any bad intention. 

"At any rate he lost his head, and made his exit to Cuebitas with all his 
followers. On the way he found himself between two fires, for at that time 
there was heavy fighting at El Caney. This village and Cuebitas were the 

two places selected as the neutral rendezvous for non-combatants. H 

will tell you all the particulars of the trip, as he fled with the Consul at the 
time. We all returned home, since the rumor was false. Dinner that day 
was a farce, for who could eat in peace with so many rumors and no possible 
way of getting at the truth ? 

''At dusk the firing ceased. Father went out and we retired in a vain 
attempt to sleep. At half-past nine a terrific fire rommenced anew, and when 
father came back we all got up and dressed. Mother was very much fright- 
ened when she heard the volleys so near, with the roar of cannon now and 

then. On her account father got the permission of M to spend the night 

at his storehouse, anohthis we did, sitting in chr^rs till about half-past eleven, 
for when the firing ceased we returned home. 

" Then came the eventful Sunday of the 3rd At eleven o'clock the Span- 
ish fleet left its moorings and steamed out into ' he arms of the enemy, and 
what happened you all know by this time. 7 he noise of the conflict was 
terrible. We did not know the result of this catastrophe till four o'clock in 
the afternoon, for a rumor was circulated that it had finally evaded the enemy 
and was now on its way to Havana. 

" Late that same afternoon a friend of ours, Irving at the time in one of 
the volunteer regiments, called upon us, and told u* that the American admiral 
had issued a proclamation saying that if the city Aid not surrender the next 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



421 



day at ten o'clock he would bombard it. The Consuls, however, succeeded 
in delaying this measure till the 5th, in order that they might have the neces- 
sary time to get their subjects into neutral territory. 

" When father heard this news his one idea was to get out of the city 
immediately. Knowing that a British man-of-war was coming here the next 
day, he visited the British Consul and begged him to take us away. He gave 
us to understand that he would do all that was possible, and that there were 
good chances, and at that we commenced to get together all our household 
goods, not with the idea of taking them away, but rather that they might be 
ready to move in case of fire. 

" By this time it was dark. We had no supper, for who could eat ? All 
we did was to put away our goods. I cried bitterly that evening as I put 
away the things that I thought I would never see again. At ten father came 
home and told us to put our clothes in bags, in case we were admitted aboard 

the vessel. At one o'clock I gave out completely, though mother and T 

worked all night without a moment's rest. 

" I will never forget the day of the 4th, when our only hopes were com- 
pletely shattered. Until ten o'clock that morning we thought we could get 
away on the ship. However, it was of no avail, and when I realized what it 
would be if the city should be bombarded I could refrain no longer, but cried 
till I cared not whether I lived or died. 

" Having lost all hope, we tried hard to decide which way to go — whether 
to Cuebitas or El Caney. The idea of going into the country struck us with 
terror, for we knew well the magnanimity of the heroic black patriots ! Any- 
thing was preferable to that, and the very thought of those hours of anguish 
makes me shudder now. 

Preparing to Resist- 

" It was now already dusk, and father was at his wits' end. First it was 
go to Cuebitas, then to El Caney, then Las Dos Bocas, then stay at home and 
pull through as best we could during the bombardment. We had at last 
decided to stay when a friend of father advised us not to do so, as it would 
indeed be most imprudent. So we decided to go into the country. We were 

just getting ready to leave when H arrived most opportunely and told 

us all the hardships the French party had encountered. He told us to do as 
we pleased, but said that the trip would be unendurable, and that we could 
not return then until all had been settled. 

" This at last decided us, and we gave up the country idea once more. 
Father planned to go aboard a steamboat and take refuge in some of the 
inlets that abound in this harbor. There was to be no more vacillating ! 



422 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



" The day end^d quietly. No shots had been heard, though everything 
was being prepared for the encounter of the coming day. All you could see 
were armed soldiers, rifles, and cannon. Nothing was heard but cannon, 
rifles, ammunition, trenches, etc., etc. There arrived this day five thousand 
men from Holguin, and in spite of there being so many troops in the city, 
not the slightest disturbance occurred. We retired simply because we ought 
to have some rest, and spent the time half dressed on bare beds, for every - 
thing had been packed up. 

" It must have been about eleven or half-past when we heard a terrific 
explosion that shook the doors and windows of our house. What could it 
mean ? Had the long-delayed bombardment commenced ? 

" After a while we found out that the Spaniards had blown up a cruiser 
at the mouth of the harbor to prevent the invading fleet from forcing an 
entrance. We knew a gentleman that had gone out with her, and we had 
grave doubts as to his safety, for some of the American vessels opened fire 
when they saw the boat at the mouth of the harbor. This same gentleman 
had lost a son in the engagement of the 4th. He had survived the American 
fire, but on trying to make the land he was met by the naked machetes of the 
negro insurgents and the cries of ' Die, coward ! ' a fate that befell many of the 
Spanish sailors. 

Fleeing to the Country. 

" At three o'clock the next morning the streets were once more filled 
with terrified people, all fleeing to the country. Nothing could be heard but 
the cries of women and children. We got up as quickly as possible, and at 
five left the house. On the street we met a poor old woman with her son, an 
invalid man, crying and begging for aid. How could this poor soul leave the 
city with such a burden ! And the streets were filled with just such pathetic 
scenes, for how could it be otherwise when there were so many sick ? Many 
of them died on the way. 

" Once aboard the" steamer San Juan we felt a little easier, and at ten 
o'clock we steamed away to the inlet called Cocos. We ate better that day 
and rested somewhat. We had been in the inlet six days when the captain 
received word from the commandant, and we steamed back to Santiago, 
though we were advised not to land, since the city had been completely 
sacked, and was left without lights, water, or the means of getting anything 
in the stores. The captains had been summoned to be informed that if the 
enemy forced an entrance all their vessels should be burned More cheerful 
news ! We returned to Los Cocos that evening, and everybody was busy 
getting ready their goods, as we were going ashore there the next morning 
to camp out as best we could, 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



423 



"At dawn we went ashore, and the poor chambermaids and stewards 
cried as they left the vessel. I have never seen a sadder-looking aggregation 
than ours was that morning when we pitched our tent, which, by the way, was 
a very good one and extremely large. Right by us the people from the 
steamers Mortera and Mexico also encamped, and we were not long in getting 
acquainted, for we had to live like one large family. That day we had to eat 
rancho (soldiers' fare), for we had no time to prepare anything more elaborate. 

Flying Shot and Shell. 

" I forgot to tell you that the bombardment that was to take place on the 
5th never occurred. There had been no attacks by the Americans, and the 
city had not surrendered. Finally we found out that on the loth at four 
o'clock, since Santiago had not yet capitulated, the hostilities would com- 
mence anew. By this time we had gone back to the steamer, as the order to 
burn all the vessels had been countermanded. We were just going to eat 
when we heard a report, and a shell whistled over our heads, announcing that 
the attack on the city had started. 

" From that moment the firing was terrible, and the shells screamed 
horribly. One exploded near us, and the pieces fell within a short distance 
of the San Juan. The captain seemed greatly troubled, and ordered us ashore 
once more as means of better protection. Great was the confusion. Some 
of the poor women were on their knees and the children were crying pitifully. 
At night, however, all was quiet again, and we found out that the attack had 
been very violent, and the resistance stubborn, so the Americans failed to 
advance that day. 

" We passed the night in tranquillity, though, funny as it may sound to 
you, the fear of the land crabs that were in great numbers about the camp 
kept me awake. It was the first night that I was able to stretch myself on 
a bed since I had been aboard the San Juan, for though we had a stateroom 
the children occupied the berths and we dozed in chairs with our heads on 
pillows rested on a table. 

"The next day, the nth, the firing commenced at nine o'clock and 
lasted till two, and as on the previous day, the shower of bullets overhead 
was terrible. 

" The fighting had been very heavy all day, and it was known that sooner 
or later the city must be surrendered, for the ammunition, supplies and water 
were getting very low, and without these resistance was impossible. General 
Linares sent a cable message to Spain, stating that under the present condi- 
tions it was impossible to hold out any longer. From that day on talk of 
surrendering was heard, and though at first Toral resisted he finally gave in. 



424 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



The night of the nth was a very bad one for us, as it rained in torrents and 
the canvas tops soon leaked profusely, drenching us to the skin, and to sleep 
was out of the question. 

" Father went away the next morning, and when he returned told us the 
good news that he had found a house in Cayo Duant. Thither we hurried, 
and found C. V. and his family there. 

Capitulation of Santiago. 

" On Sunday, the 17th, the city capitulated. We saw it all from the 
Cayo, and that afternoon we returned to Santiago. The streets looked very 
desolate, and, though they are a little livelier at present, I guess it will be a 
long while before they take their old familiar look. We worked hard to get 
the house in order, though it seemed impossible that we were at last back 
again. 

" Provisions are sold at exorbitant prices. The Red Cross has distrib- 
uted many necessaries, though the people will have to go hungry yet awhile. 
They do not think of going to work, but only to procure that which is given 
them. There is much dysentery in the city, and the number of sick is 
enormous. 

"We can, indeed, call ourselves fortunate in having passed these terrible 
days in good health, and I will never forget the time we spent on board the 
San Juan. From June 14th to July 16th we ate hardtack, as the bread had 
all given out. On the 17th we had neither, though the next day we com- 
menced to eat bread once more, and nothing ever tasted half so good. We 
thank you heartily for the provisions you sent us. I don't know how long it 
had been since we had seen any eggs. I have given you an account of the 
past, and soon I will tell you all that has happened lately, for there is yet 
much calamity here. I only hope that there will not be a plague. "R." 

The choice of General Leonard Wood, the first colonel of the Rough 
Riders, promoted for bravery at La Quasina, for Military Governor of San- 
tiago, after its capitulation, was an eminently wise one, for combining, as he 
did, medical skill with the very highest type of soldierly qualities and 
executive ability, he was able to overcome the important sanitary problems 
presented. 

In a long letter that he sent to Secretary Alger toward the end of Sep- 
tember, General Wood presents vividly the frightful conditions that confronted 
the American Army of occupation after the surrender of the city. 

"I have had," writes General Wood, "a very difficult position from 3 
sanitary point of view, and not an altogether easy one from a military and civil 
standpoint. When we came into the city the sanitary situation was something 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



425 



frightful. There were a great many unburied dead in the houses, between 
2000 and 3000 Spanish wounded and sick, and a great horde of half-famished 
and sick people, nearly 20,000 in number, who had just returned from El 
Caney, where they had gone during the siege. The water supply of the city 
had been cut off ; there was no water to be obtained except from cisterns and 
a few wells, and the streets were full of dead animals and all sorts of filthy 
materials. I had to start in at the bottom and repair the water-works. Then 
came the removal of the dead. Some of these were burned, because the num- 
ber was so great and decomposition had advanced to such an extent that they 
could not be buried. Burning is not uncommonly practiced here during the 
epidemic season. 

Fever on all Sides. 

" We had yellow fever all around us, and about twenty cases in the Span 
ish military hospital. The civil hospital was full of dying people, and public 
buildings were being used as hospitals. On the whole, it was an extremely 
difficult task, requiring a great deal of hard work. I have been working 
systematically with every means at hand to improve the sanitary condition ot 
the city. It is in this department that a vast amount of work has been done. 

" I have a force of about one hundred and seventy men constantly em- 
ployed, and at many times have had nearly double this force working day 
and night to remove the vast accumulations of indescribable filth which has 
accumulated in the out-houses and yards as well as in the streets of the city, 
which is reputed to be one of the most unhealthy and dirty in the world. The 
death rate has dropped steadily since we came in, and is now about one-fourth 
of what it was in July. The water system has been put in order, and a great 
many repairs made to it, and the supply, although insufficient, is utilized to 
the greatest advantage. 

" I have had to hire doctors for the hospitals, purchase medicine for them, 
and supply them with beds and bedding and food ; in fact, re-establish and 
take entire charge of them. I have also established a strict system of house 
inspection and inspection of the streets and have a disinfecting department as 
well as a cleaning department. The city has been divided into five districts, 
in each of which is a relief station, where food is distributed and a physician 
in attendance who prescribes for those who present themselves sick and visits 
the sick in the houses. 

" The Police Department, all doctors, and the officials in each ward have 
received instructions to furnish these physicians a list of sick requiring atten- 
tion and also of the worthy poor in order that we may be somewhat protected 
in the distribution of medicines and rations. I am issuing at present about 
15,000 ration^ per day. The physicians probably are prescribing for about 



426 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



six hundred or seven hundred people, and on some days many more. These 
physicians are native Cubans, educated in the United States and employed by 
our Government as contract surgeons. 

" The garbage and material which I collect in the streets I have dumped 
outside of town and burned. I have also had the lower and most unhealthy 
portion of the city ditched and drained and the ditches running into the harbor 
cleaned out, also the water-front system of sewerage, which was completely 
obstructed and in a frightful condition. It has long been the custom in this 
town to depend on heavy rains and the rushing floods through the streets to 
sweep away the accumulated filth of the dry season. 

" All this has been swept down to the water front, where it has been col- 
lecting for years, choking the drains and filling the shallow waters near the 
shore, so that when the tide goes out masses of decomposing material are 
exposed to the intense rays of the sun and furnish frightful causes of disease. 
Later this year, when the epidemic season shall have passed, it is my inten- 
tion, if I am granted funds and authority, to have the shallow places dredged 
out, so that at least a thin layer of water will cover them and prevent the 
present condition of affairs. 

" The police has been re-established and its uniforms changed to one 
similar to that worn by the Cubans, and they will soon be entirely rid of all 
suggestion of Spanish rule. 

He Becomes a Poo-Bah. 

" The lighthouse system in the harbor I have re-established and arranged 
pilots, harbor masters, etc. 

"As the Courts are not yet running, I have the delightful experience each 
day of acting as Police Judge and clearing the docket of all sorts of odd cases. 
Of course, the most serious cases, such as crime, are being held for trial, 
either by Military Commission or by the Courts when they are established 
and in operation. 

" The receipts of the city from customs since we occupied it, I understand 
from Generals Shafter and Lawton, who have charge of this matter, have been 
about $100,000. The expenses of the city per week, supporting the hospitals, 
cleansing the streets, doing the necessary engineering work, and the many 
little things that are required to keep up the different departments of the city 
of 50,000, are at present $4500 to $5000. Of this about $1600 is for sanitary 
work and engineering, the balance for hospital, police, etc. 

" I have been as economical as possible, but have felt that in this matter 
of sanitation expense should not be taken into consideration, as the lives 
of all Americans here might be said to depend upon a prompt and 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



427 



thorough correction of the frightful unsanitary condition in which the city- 
was found. 

" The great expert on yellow fever, Dr. Guiteras, assured me in July that 
an epidemic of yellow fever of great severity was absolutely unavoidable, and 
that we were destined to lose a large proportion of our people here. Thus 
far it has been avoided, and not only avoided, but to-day I do not know any 
authenticated case of genuine yellow fever in Santiago de Cuba proper, and 
every day increases our chances of escape." t 

General Wood then makes some recommendations as to what he needs 
in the way of management of the hospitals and sanitary affairs, He also 
speaks of the management of the city under military and civil authority. The 
United States officers have been able to rule the city by a combination of 
both. The use of military force has been avoided as far as possible, and only 
when the police have been inadequate. The General continues : " I am very 
anxious to have the schools started in the city and get the children out of the 
streets ; also to get the issue of rations down to such a point that we are sure 
we are not pauperizing the people." 

Feeding the Peasants. 

On the subject of rations, General Wood makes some recommendations. 
He thinks it would be well to get the rations out to the small places in the 
country, so that the Cuban soldiers, as they leave the army, maybe able to get 
to their farms in the vicinity of these towns. These men could then have a 
limited amount of food from which they could be supplied while their crops 
are maturing. After the first crop nearly all the assistance should be brought 
to an end. 

General Wood discusses the problem in Cuba, which is well understood 
here, of getting the Cuban army disbanded and the men composing it at work. 
In discussing this phase of the situation he seems to think that it will be 
necessary to discourage the idea among the Cubans that rations will be con- 
stantly issued to them, because as long as the men can get a full food supply 
they will not need very much else to get along. 

General Wood communicates the gratifying intelligence that all indica- 
tions now point to the speedy disbanding of the Cuban army. He says the 
feeling of the better class of Cubans towards the Americans is very kind and 
they appreciate what the United States is trying to do. The General is very 
hopeful that everything will come out all right. No one can tell, he says, 
how long it will take to establish a stable government, but he thinks it will be 
quite a period of time. 

The letter from which the above extract was taken was dated September 



428 



WITH THE BESIEGED. 



9. On September 16 General Wood wrote another letter to Secretary Alger 
in which he says : " Since my last letter everything has been going on 
smoothly and the improvement is continued. People have all they want to 
eat, and I do not think there is hunger to any extent in Santiago. I have 
increased the number of doctors and the relief stations of food. Committees 
of prominent citizens in each ward voluntarily made house-to-house visits 
daily in addition to those made by our physicians and report in full all cases 
which command attention. They are authorized to give out diet also. I 
have located an old artesian well machine and am going to try for artesian 
water near the water front. We ought to find it in a basin surrounded by 
beautiful mountains. 

" You would be delighted to see the old bronze cannon and mortars 
which we have taken here. Some of them go back to the Middle Ages and 
were evidently captured from the French. I hope they will be taken to 
Washington, where they will be the most interesting and ornamental in our 

p*MrlrS i ' , 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Exciting Experiences of Our Soldiers and Sailors. 

HEN our volunteers went out to the war, they were furnished, each 
and every one, with a campaign hat. As it came to the young 
soldier this hat was a wide-brimmed, soft-crowned affair of felt in 
a neutral shade of brown. It cost him 87 cents. The crown was 
guiltless of creases, but stood up straight and sleek in sugar-loaf fashion. 

For a few days the volunteer wore his hat just as he received it, and 
many sailed away for Cuba with their headgear in the original shape. But 
months of campaigning worked a wonderful change in the hat of the volun- 
teer. There is probably not one hat out of the 50,000 or more issued at the 
beginning of the war that did not bear a speaking record of the wearer's 
individuality. 

" I learned to tell what State a volunteer came from just by looking at 
his hat," said a returned war correspondent. 

It is surprising to note the almost limitless changes which can be made 
in the pliable felt crowns and brims. It did not take the recruits long to dis- 
cover that with a dash of water they could mold their hats to suit their fancy. 
And what whims did come to the volunteers during their idle hours in camp, 
on the transports and in the trenches ! 

Of course the regulars are too much creatures of prosaic habit to indulge 
in such caprices. The regular infantryman, no matter what his regiment, 
wears his hat in one particular style. He makes a careful crease in the 
crown, dents in the sides a little and lets the brim remain straight. The 
regular cavalryman, on the other hand, simply pulls the crown out to a point 
in imitation of the way the gaucheros of South America and the Mexicans 
wear their hats. But the untrammeled volunteer has independent notions. 
The boys from New York and Pennsylvania and other eastern States make a 
sharp crease in the crown of their hats, turn the back of the brim up and 
pull the front of it down. It gives them a sort of rakish look, which they 
seem to appreciate highly. 

It was only the new soldier who adorned his superstructure with the 
flag or a picture of Admiral Dewey. The veteran's artistic efforts are in the 
direction of significance — it may be the thorn of a cactus, or the sting of a scor- 
pion, or a Mauser bullet whose sting was misdirected, or merely a hole which 

429 




430 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



may represent either the pathway of a bullet or the action of a knife in the 
hands of the owner, with intent to deceive. 

If the owner be a rough rider, the headpiece is likely to bear some legend : 
" R. R. R.," for instance, or "Roosevelt's Terrors/' or perhaps merely" 1st Reg. 
U. S. Vol. Cav.," extending half around the curve. One of " Teddy's Terrors " 
had two Mauser cartridges struck through loops made by cutting the side of his 
1 hat. The more battered the hat the more the soldier is apt to think of it, for a 
battered hat ought to be prima facie evidence of hard campaigning. Many 
of the Seventy-first New York volunteers returned without the metal insignia 
which serves to indicate the regiment and company and which should be at- 
tached to the front of the brim. The deficiency they supplied by marking 
the necessary designation in ink. Underneath many of them added the sig- 
nificant words, " San Juan " and " El Caney." 

Slang in the Army. 

" How these boys have managed to pick up such a conglomeration of 
slang terms in the few short months that they have been away passes my 
understanding," said an army officer one day. He had been listening to a 
couple of returned soldiers who were swapping stories of the war, and was 
much amused and apparently not a little perplexed by their language. 

"It is certainly not Spanish," he added, "but whatever it is, it is 
decidedly Dutch to me. During the war (the Civil War, I mean — we have to 
distinguish our wars now) the boys added a great many slang words to their 
vocabulary, but these young 'uns beat us out of sight. It is a sign of the 
times, I suppose, but if they had stayed in Cuba much longer they would 
have had to bring back an interpreter with them. I can't understand half 
they say as it is." 

As the officer walked off, the two privates looked at one another, winked, 
and commenced to laugh. 

" What was the ' J ooss ' — I mean the captain — sayin' to you ? " asked one, 

of the reporters. 

u Said you were talking so much slang he couldn't understand you." 
" Guess he wasn't in the South, then, but we were pitching it rather 
fierce, eh, bunkie ? " to his companion. " Bunkie 99 didn't say anything, only 

grinned. 

" But, say/' continued the other. " You'd a died to see bunkie here 
when he came down to Cuba, an' heard the men talk. Say, it was out 
o' sight. He's no sweet-tempered angel at the best of times, and he's been 
my bunkie (that's my tent-mate), an' so I know. He was one of the last 
recruits to reach the island. We call the recruits ' rookies ' now. At first 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



431 



they was ' new boys/ but now they're rookies. The grub boss, that's the 
quartermaster sergeant, comes around next morning an' sees my bunkie 
sitting in front of the tent. ' Here, rookie/ he calls, ' tell your bunkie to 
come an' get his punk.' Punk means grub, bread, anything to eat, you 
know. Bunkie looks at him, an' then says, ' Aw, what 're you givin' us?' 
' That's all right, rookie/ said the grub boss, 'jest you tell your bunkie. 
That's him in the tent there.' 

A "Rookie" Objects. 

" Then bunkie got mad. ' Now, just you look here, sergeant/ says he, 
'just you mind who you're addressin'. See? You ain't the whole push 
'cause you got stripes on your arm. Don't you call me out o' my name, 
'cause it don't go, see ? I ain't no bird, an' I won't stand for it.' Gosh, he 
was mad ! I told him rookie was only slang for recruit, but he said he didn't 
want any slang in his. But you got used to it 'fore long, didn't you, bunkie ? " 

The terms " rookie" and " bunkie," and "slops" for clothes, used so fre- 
quently by the soldiers, are all expressions in vogue in the English army, and 
are quoted frequently by Kipling. For instance, in " Back to the Army 
Again," he says : " I couldn't 'elp 'oldin' straight when me an' the other 
rookies come under the barrick gate." 

The derivation of other expressions is doubtful, if not impossible to 
ascertain. Most of them probably had their genesis in the fertile brain of 
some soldier who described a fact in terms that amused his companions. 
Others " caught on " because of their literal truthfulness. As an example of 
the latter class, the expression " shot," except when referring to intoxication, 
has been changed to " Mausered." If a man was wounded otherwise he was 
probably " macheted.' If he was killed, cause of injuries unknown, the sol- 
diers will tell you he was " dagoed," and let it go at that. The reason for 
calling the Cubans " cubebs " is not hard to find, nor why the Spanish victims 
of their butchery were " dagoed." The Spanish sharpshooters were not 
lynched by the American soldiers, they were " strapped," which is a distinc- 
tion with only a slight difference. Ropes were not " handy," and rifle straps 
always were. 

The soldiers in Santiago didn't take a walk or make a march ; he did a 
hyke. Any soldier knows what a "hyke" is, but very few seem to know why 
it is. A volunteer in the army building said that he had been " hyking all 
over looking for transportation." 

" What does hyking mean ? " he was asked. 

" Oh, you know! Just — ah — to hyke," was his reply. 

Food is, of course, grub, but bread and hardtack are often known as 



432 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



" punk," while the word rations has been abbreviated to " rats." Hardtack 
by itself is commonly known as " angel food." A soldier who was asked the 
reason for this term simply laughed and replied, " Cause it ain't." 

A soldier doesn't lie nowadays, at least those who have been in Cuba 
don't. They only " pitch you a fierce one," or possibly " give you a pipe." 
If the soldier has doubts as to your veracity he may insinuate that you are 
" dreaming," or that your " pipe is out." If he wanted you to infer that he 
had been locked up in the guard-house by a member of the provost guard he 
would probably say that he had been " cooped in the booby hatch by a bull." 
Should a soldier inform a civilian that his bunkie was "baked by a bull for 
jumpin' a gump " he would probably be misunderstood. His meaning would 
be that his tent mate had been arrested by the provost guard for stealing a 
chicken, which is not quite as bad as it sounds. 

Private soldiers are known as either Jack or Pete to their comrades. Any 
of them will answer to either name. Lieutenants are " luffs " to the men, 
while the captain is " his nibs," or " cap." Any colonel, with the exception 
of him of the Rough Riders, is known by the appellation of " the boss." 

Colonel Roosevelt is called by every man in the army simply "Teddy" 
— that is when they're speaking of, not to, him. In the same way General 
Wheeler, when he is not called " Fighting Joe," is affectionately termed "Joey." 
Appellations of endearment were also adapted and applied to most of the 
other active participants in the* war, in some cases hitting off the character- 
istics of the recipients with startling appropriateness. 

The soldiers have picked up one word from the navy. They say they 
Hobsonized " the Spaniards at San Juan. Why Hobsonize? Well, they 
say they filled them full of holes. These are only a few of the new words 
that have been added to the dictionary of " Military Parlance." Others that 
are in vogue are old words in new dresses, so changed that their originators 
in the Bowery would not recognize them. 

The Soldier's Pay. 

During the war the United States Government paid its fighting men in 
the field at the rate of over #90,500,000 a year. In 1897, the to al pay roll of 
the army — then on the ordinary peace footing — was only #13,830,331. It 
was no wonder, therefore, that with such a sudden and enormous increase in 
the size of the pay roll, the volunteer troops found that the visits of the pay- 
master to their camp did not always occur on schedule time. 

According to army regulations, the last of every month should be pay 
day. In times of peace the regulars are paid promptly, but the confusion re- 
sulting from the war made the regulars' pay day as uncertain as that of the 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



433 



v< lunteers. Now the troops were lucky if they received their money once in 
tvo months. Some wounded soldiers who had been sent north from Cuba 
were paid off one day for the first time in three months. Most of them 
signed the pay roll sitting up in their cots in the hospital. 

Although there was an occasional delay no soldier ever had to call on 
the courts to compel Uncle Sam to give him the money which he had justly 
earned. Wherever he was, whether stationed at some out of the way post 
or laid up in a hospital, the paymaster searched him out sooner or later and 
handed him his precious envelope. 

The pay staff of the army includes a paymaster general, two assistant 
paymasters general with the rank of colonel, three deputy paymasters general 
with the rank of colonel and twenty paymasters with the rank of major. For 
the volunteer army this staff was increased by the creation of an additional 
paymaster for every two regiments. The salary of a paymaster is $2,500, of 
a deputy $3,000, of an assistant $3,500 and of the paymaster general $5,000. 

Payment by Checks Unsatisfactory. 

During peace times the paying off of the standing army is a simple matter 
of banking. Formerly the paymasters or their clerks paid off every month 
in person, sitting behind the "pay table" and handing out the amount due each 
man in an envelope. Recently, however, a new system has been introduced 
by which the paymasters send the amounts due the men to the commanding 
officers in the form of checks, and by them the checks are delivered to the 
privates and subordinate and non-commissioned officers. 

This system is pronounced unsatisfactory by the present paymaster gen- 
eral, Brigadier General T. H. Stanton, who declares that payment by the 
paymaster is far more satisfactory to the troops and prevents vexatious delays. 
As the government has depositories in every large city, the obtaining of 
money for the use of the paymasters of the army at the various posts in time 
of peace is an easy matter. Under the war conditions the men were paid by 
the paymasters direct. Soldiers in the field cannot use checks, and any system 
of indirect payment would lead to inextricable confusion. 

The right of a soldier to receive pay from the government is first estab- 
lished by his commission if he be an officer and by the appearance of his 
name on the muster roll if he be an enlisted man. When a man is paid off 
the first time, he signs the pay roll in receipt, and that establishes his right to 
another month's pay if he is not killed before the month expires. In that 
event the matter passes out of the hands of the pay department and is referred 
to the auditor for the war department, who determines how much of the 
soldier's month's wages was earned before his death. 
28 



434 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



General Shafter's entire army of some 15,000 men was paid up to the last 
day of May before they sailed from Tampa, and all the troops at San Fran- 
cisco bound for the Philippines were given two months' pay, one month in 
advance. For this purpose about $1,500,000 was required. The same sum 
was sent to Manila before August 31, when the wages for July and August 
were due. This money was sent from San Francisco in coin in charge of 
army pay officers. 

Stay-at-Honie Regulars' Hard Lot. 

About the lonesomest places in this country at present are the army 
posts of the frontier from which have gone the soldiers who made the life 
there so pleasant. By every post is a town, and to these towns the absence 
of the regulars is like the taking away of the charter; it means a loss of trade 
and of people on the streets that gives the place the appearance of having a 
funeral. A few trades almost compensated for the absence of the large busi- 
ness done just previous to the call for the movement to the front. For in- 
stance, the photographers took pictures of the soldiers and of their families 
day and night that all might have remembrance. But when the trains pulled 
out there was sincere grief and longing that was not assuaged by the passing 
of the long weeks. 

And the lonesomest men in the nation are the dozen or so soldiers who 
have been detailed to watch the weedy parade ground and to keep in oider 
the quarters of the troops who are at the front. One young West Pointer, 
detailed for duty at one of the far Northwest forts when he expected to have 
a berth near Washington, had added to his disappointment the task of stay- 
ing with the Indians and feeding them with beef while the other troops went 
to Cuba. In desperation he offered his services in any capacity to his home 
Governor, but there was such a pull for appointments that he was not con- 
sidered. It is on record that he wept some very salty tears as he read of the 
bravery of his comrades at the front, and had several periods of vigorous 
scolding of fate for the scurvy trick she played on him. He is but a type, 
for to every regular in the army and navy the war was the chance of a life- 
time for promotion and experience. To be deprived of these was indeed 
hard, and the boys who were guarding the posts felt it. Somebody had to 
do it, however, and not always the highest honors come from service in the 
field. 

On the most prominent height of the beautiful Fort Riley reservation in 
central Kansas, and at what is called the geographical centre of the United 
States, stands a monument to one of the bravest soldiers of the nation's his- 
tory. He did not win his laurels on the battlefield — not his brightest ones. 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



435 



Major Ogden was one of the military commissioners who selected the magni- 
ficent 19,000-acre reservation. He went there with the troops, and when one 
day in the later '50s the plague of cholera broke out among the soldiers he was 
one of the men who did not leave. He stayed day after day nursing the 
dying soldiers and listening to their last messages. It was weary staying, 
but he did not flinch, and when at last he felt the numbness of the disease he 
gave up his life as willingly as he had his services. They buried him there 
on the crown of a prairie hill, and every visitor reverences the man who died 
in so noble a cause. The men who were guarding the reservation while 
their comrades were camped at El Caney, in sight of the spires of Santiago, 
looked at the monument outlined against the evening sky and took a new 
courage to meet their condition. 

Deserted Ports and Posts. 

There were other deserted forts and posts on the frontier that will never 
be occupied by troops again. They are scattered along the watercourses of 
Kansas and Nebraska, where once the Indians were many, but where there 
is nothing more to be feared than the herds of the cattlemen and the families 
of the settlers. There are Fort Hays, Fort Wallace, Fort Dodge, and a dozen 
others that were once the scene of the liveliest happenings of the fron- 
tier. The rough riders of those days were the men who rode after Custer, 
and Sheridan, and Forsythe. The Indian raids were frequent and severe. 
The tribes came down from the northern reservations and terrified the settlers, 
killed a few and destroyed the houses and stock. 

One of these raids, headed by Roman Nose, ended in a company from 
Wcdlace and Hays following the raiders up the Republican Fork. There the 
soldiers were surrounded on a piece of low ground near the river, and for four 
days and nights held the enemy at bay, until the brave trooper who sneaked 
out of the camp could go to the fort and bring reinforcements. Such are the 
reminiscences that cluster about these forts, and the older members of the 
army recall them with affection. But there is now no use for the buildings, 
and pending the action of Congress they have stood for years, slowly rotting 
away. Fort Hays has a long line of officers' houses that are gradually going 
to decay, and the land itself is being used for a large cattle pasture. 

Strange as it may seem, the soldiers like the far frontier forts best. One 
day a handsome cavalryman sat on his horse near the depot at Fort Riley as 
some companies came in from the West. 

"They ought to be happy now," was remarked. "Here are fine build- 
ings, good quarters and trees. They have been in Arizona, you know." 

"Yes, I was there myself," he said. "I ain't so sure they are happy." 



436 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



" Don't you like it here?" 

" Oh, yes, tiptop — a soldier's duty is to stay where he is put — but some- 
how it isn't like the frontier. There it is so free and boundlesslike. We had a 
better time in Arizona than here, where there is so much style. We have to be 
more particular and careful, and don't have so much sunlight." He meant it, too. 

An observer of the conditions on the frontier remarked concerning the 
close of the war : 

" Some great celebrations will be held at the frontier forts when the boys 
return. The people of all the surrounding country will flock to see the heroes 
of the recent victories and will want to shake hands with the fighters at San- 
tiago. The Sunday-school picnics to the forts have been postponed this 
summer for the first time since the settlement of the West. The school that 
gets the first date will reap a fortune. There are soldiers' and officers' wives 
waiting for the coming of the boys from the front, too. They have watched 
the death lists day after day, and some of them have found names of loved 
ones. For these there will be no homecoming joys. So the pleasure will be 
not unmixed, and when the forts take on their old-time activity and the troops 
are at home there will be both tears and cheers. " 

Didn't Want Furloughs. 

Fifteen privates belonging to regiments of the regular army, discharged 
from various hospitals in New York, reported to the Deputy Quartermaster- 
General in the Army building one morning and asked to be sent to their 
regiments. The men were referred to Major Ewald, Chief of Transportation. 
One of the men stated the wants of all. 

"Where do you come from? "asked Major Ewald. The spokesman 
named the hospitals. 

"Were you in Cuba?" asked the Major. 

"We were, sir; all of us." 

"See any fighting?" 

" Yes, sir. Each of us was wounded." 

" Don't you know that all soldiers discharged from hospitals now are 
entitled to thirty-day furloughs?" asked the Major. 

" We heard something about it, but we don't want any furloughs. We'd 
rather join our regiments, sir, if it's all the same. We've all been in Cuba, 
as I said. If things ain't much different down there now from what they 
were when we were there, we thought some troops would be needed there 
again pretty soon. If our regiments are ordered there again we want to go." 

"What makes you think troops will be needed in Cuba again?'' asked 
Major Ewald. "The war is over." 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



437 



"We know that, sir, but the Cubans don't seem to catch on to our ways 
very quick, and we thought maybe somebody would have to show 'em. 
We'd like to help, sir/' 

" You're a credit to yourselves and the army in which you serve," ex- 
claimed Major Ewald warmly. " You shall be sent to your regiments at 
once/' 

The men were on their way to Montauk before sunset. 

Some interesting figures showing that the percentage of loss of officers 
is greater than that of privates have been made public by army officials. 
The Sixth United States infantry lost more officers and men than any other 
regiment which participated in the war with Spain. The percentage of the 
loss of officers was 36.66, and that of privates 26.32. 

The regiment went to the front in April with 513 officers and men. At 
Montauk Point 325 men were recruited, so that the regiment had 417 privates 
and 15 commissioned officers. On July 19th, while the men were in the 
trenches at Santiago, they celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the 
organization of the regiment, which was created by an Act of Congress, 
July 19, 1798. 

Thomas Farrell, of Company B, is the biggest and the oldest soldier in 
the regiment. He has been in the United States service for thirty- five years, 
and has served both in the army and the navy. During the civil war he was 
on the old ship Relief. He has been told that he ought to retire, but he 
declines to do so, saying that when he dies he wants to die with his uniform 
on. At Santiago on July 1st, he was shot through the chest. He declined 
assistance and walked to a hospital. Farrell rejoined his regiment at Mon- 
tauk. The percentage of loss of the Tenth United States infantry was: 
Officers, 28.57, an d privates, 9.77. 

Heroic Colored Troops, 

Among the great number of soldiers who participated in the military 
parade during the Philadelphia Peace Jubilee, none attracted greater attention 
or were accorded a more cordial ovation than the two hundred members of 
the famous Tenth United States Cavalry, composed of twenty-one officers and 
privates, picked representatives of the eight companies of this famous colored 
regiment, which fought so nobly at San Juan Hill, La Quasina and El Caney 
in July. 

Sergeant B. F. Potts, of Company I, a native of North Carolina, who is 
perhaps one of the oldest members of the Tenth Cavalry and who has seen 
twenty-seven years all told and wears a sharpshooter's medal, awarded in 
1894, said : " I have nothing to regret of the past, and am glad to have lived 



438 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



to return home, for never before in all my years of experience on the frontier 
did I witness such scenes as I did in Cuba, nor do I believe any member of 
the Tenth Calvary expects to see such. I was never in an engagement of such 
duration, when such havoc was wrought as was among the Rough Riders on 
those memorable days of July 1st, 2d and 3d before Santiago. Words are 
inadequate ; it was heart-rending to see our gallant captain killed and the 
Rough Riders being annihilated; it was no doubt this that made us fight the 
more. The Rough Riders had plenty of courage and discipline in their favor, 
but lacked experience like the regulars are used to. They did not use smoke- 
less powder either as we did and, in fact, all the regular troops. Now, since 
this is all over, I have no wish, as some of my comrades have expressed 
themselves, to return to Cuba." 

Cavalry Without Horses. 

Corporal Miller Reed, of the same regiment, said : " We were out in 
Montana when war was declared, but were hurried to Chickamauga. Then we 
had to pack up again and go to Tampa. All this time we had no horses, 
and I don't know why we were called cavalry. It was June 22d when the 
regiment first saw Cuba. 

" Before we landed the warships fired for nearly an hour, but none of us 
on the transports saw a Spaniard until two days later. While marching 
through a narrow defile on June 24th, with the Rough Riders and four troops 
of the First Cavalry, the Spaniards suddenly opened fire on us from a hill 
straight ahead. After we had fired at the smoke they made for a time a 
charge was made, the Rough Riders attacking their left flank and we their 
right. 

" After the fight the officers read us a telegram telling the loss and 
thanking the men. In this fight I saw the first Spaniards. They were pretty 
good fighters, but had to run that time. 

" For three days and nights following we had scraps with them each 
day. For my part I rather liked the Spaniards. They were always polite 
and kind to the boys in our regiment when we met after Santiago surren- 
dered, and one of our men who was taken prisoner said he had been treated 
like a gentleman. 

" Most of our men were sick all the time, but kept going just the same. 
We all took heaps of quinine, and I hope we will not have to go to Cuba 
again this winter; I was glad to get away. We were not allowed in Santiago 
after its surrender until the day we left for Montauk Point." 

Full justice has hardly been done to that gallant command, the Twentieth 
Infantry. The oversight may be due to the fact that the corps commander, 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



439 



General Shafter, made no mention of this command in his official report of 
the campaign. This unfortunate mistake is referred to in a letter from Major- 
General J. C. Bates to the commanding officer of the First Brigade, Third 
Division, to which the Twentieth was attached while recuperating at Montauk, 
and which letter is appended. 

The Twentieth Regulars left their station at Fort Leavenworth just prior 
to the war and went on the transports for Cuba, at Mobile, June 4, 1898. 
After waiting at Tampa and " stewing " in the transports for eighteen days, 
the regiment landed at Baiquiri, June 22d, and marched on the 23d to Siboney. 
For the next week it was engaged in making roads and guarding the supplies. 
At 9 o'clock p. m. on June 30th it was ordered to march to El Caney, together 
with the Third Infantry and a squadron of the Second United States Cavalry, 
forming an independent brigade under General Bates. It marched all night, 
arriving at El Caney at 2 p. m., July 1st, and at once went into the fighting 
line, where the entire command was engaged until the end of the fight. Im- 
mediately thereafter the men were marched to the left of the position at San 
Juan, marching from 5 p. m. until 2.30 the next morning, and were awakened 
at 4.30 a. m. by the hailstorm of bullets that opened the fight of July 2d. 
During seventy-two hours they had only five hours' sleep, marched over 
twenty miles and fought the greater part of two days. This regiment was 
one of the last to leave Cuba, as it formed part of the command guarding the 
Spanish prisoners. 

The General Praises His Men. 

" Headquarters 3d Div., 5th Army Corps. Camp Wikoff, Long Island, N. Y., 

" September 9, 1898. 
" To the Commanding Officer First Brigade, Third Divison, Camp Wikoff, 
" Long Island, N. Y. 

"Sir: As the division is about to be broken up I desire to inform you that 
I take great pride in the bravery and excellent conduct of the officers and 
men of the Third and Twentieth United States Infantry during the campaign 
against Santiago de Cuba. 

" I was surprised and pained to find that the corps commander, in con- 
gratulating the troops upon their success obtained on the 1st of July, made 
no mention at all of the part taken by the Third and Twentieth Infantry. 
General Shafter admitted to me that this was an injustice, and promised to 
right it. 

" I was promoted shortly after that battle and cannot but feel that this 
was in a large measure due to the unflinching devotion to duty and the bravery 
of my brigade, They bore the tiresome marches and subsequent fighting and 



440 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



hardships in the trenches in front of Santiago with patience and fortitude, and 
it is with regret that I see such excellent troops pass from my command. 




Arthur Henry, color sergeant of Company B, Thirty-third Michigan 
Volunteers, wrote a letter dated Santiago, July ioth, in which he said: 

" I was detailed yesterday to feed some of the poor Cubans. It is awful 
to see the poverty of the people. They are hungry and half naked. Some 
of the officers gave me money, and I bought stock and made barrels of soup 
and fed them all. Fr. Murphy gave me a lot of hardtack and Colonel Bogan 
gave me a box of beef, and altogether we filled those Cubans up in great 
shape. I went to mass this morning, and I am writing this letter where the 
altar stood. We build our church in five minutes ; not so nice as Boston 
churches, but we are not particular. 

" Here I am my own boss, when we are not in a fight. I keep in the 
shade all I can and go in bathing every day. We have got the Spaniards 
where we want them, and we will give them till to-morrow to surrender. If 
they don't we will blow them, off the face of the earth. We want to leave 
one Spaniard alive to tell the queen how it was done. 

" In the last battle I was in, the shells and bullets flew like a hailstorm 
around my head, but not one touched me. I am a great dodger. We had 
good luck in landing, and lost but two men by drowning, and have also lost 
some mules. It was lucky that there were not more, so great was the crowd 
of horses, mules and men. I had to walk ashore with the flag. You ought 
to have heard the Cubans cheer when I stuck the flag-pole in the ground. I 
have the same old flag yet, and I will carry it till Cuba is free." 

Jacky a Specialist. 

Jacky, who used to be more sailor than gunner, is now more gunner 
than sailor. Just in proportion as he has ceased to be a part of the great 
engine on which he lives, so he has come more and more into the control of 
it, and as the cardinal purpose of a warship is to hit things with her projectiles, 
Jacky has become a specialist in getting that work out of her. He does it in 
two places— at the guns and at the engines. Correctly pointed guns are of 
no use unless the platform on which they rest is put in proper relation to the 
thing to be hit and kept there. 

Accordingly, the " beach comber," or the " rock scorpion," or any other 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



441 



variety of that ruck of marine refuse which drifts around the great maritime 
ports and ships in any craft where " grub " is plenty and work light, no longer 
slings his hammock on Uncle Sam's berth deck, as he used to do, to the 
shame of the service, in years gone by. Nor can the tramp nor the jailbird, 
nor even the incorrigible black sheep of the family, thus be provided for, to 
the relief of constables and long-suffering relatives. No man or boy can now 
pass the United States naval recruiting officer unless he is clean, healthy, 
honest, strong, and intelligent, nor can he afterward get that advancement, 
which is certainly open to him without fear or favor, unless he continues to 
show aptitude and ability. 

Fighting From a Turret. 

Between the guns and the sides of the turrets are stationed the men who 
tend the training motors, open and close the breech, and clean out the powder 
chambers. In rear of each gun is a powerful electric fan, intended to drive 
the smoke out of the turret through the bore of the gun, and a hydraulic 
rammer wich which the half-ton projectile is forced up into the gun. At this 
rammer stands the gun-captain, who superintends the loading, and the first 
sponger, who sees to the preparation of the gun for receiving the charge. 
Between the platform on which these men stand and the face of the breech is 
a light trap-door, covering a shaft up which the ammunition lifts are hoisted 
from the handling-room below. On the girders between the guns are stationed 
the men operating the ammunition lifts, the water service, and the various 
signals and telephones. 

There is a disposition to chatter among the apprentices ; the suspense is 
great and inaction is hard to bear, especially as all of the light guns now seem 
to be engaged. 

" Train on the entrance to the harbor ! " 

The motors utter a groan, and the ponderous cylinder swings slowly 
round, wheezing and rumbling. The range indicator mounts quickly to 2,900 
yards and stops ; the telephone rings and its attendant reports. 

" Fire at will." 

The telescopes are set with a turn of the wrist, while with the other hand 
the guns are elevated until the cross-wires sweep the horizon ; but the smoke 
from the light guns is thick, and nothing is distinct. 

Suddenly there is a rift, and in it appears the black hull of a ship — a 
stranger, but aft she carries a grand ensign, marked with the blood and gold 
of Spain. From her sides and turrets there is a continuous play of lightning 
fhshes, but the din of nearer guns allows no sound from her to be distin- 
guished Qne questions uncertainty for a instant ; " Is she fighting ? Is she. 



442 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



firing at us ? Is this a naval battle ? " And then comes the eager anxiety to 
do one's own part, and to do it well. 

The sixteen men about the guns are now silent and expectant. The 
turret turns slowly — slower — stops. The ship is rolling gently, while the 
enemy's hull between her smokestacks is sweeping on to meet the descend- 
ing cross-wires of the telescope ; the officer, with all his soul in his eye, 
awaits the culmination, and at the instant presses the firing handle. There 
is a deafening roar, a blinding flash, the great gun recoils wildly into the 
turret, and then slides smoothly out again. The air is filled with smoke ; 
two men are already turning like mad at the plug-crank, and, as the half- 
ton block swings aside, a third directs a stream of water into the chamber. 
A turn is given the elevator-valve, and the breech swings up high, allowing 
the water to run down the bore and out of the muzzle. The gun-captain 
takes charge, and the officer turns to the other gun. He glances at the 
range-indicator — 2600 — yards — sets the sight, and a moment later the smoke 
lifts again. 

Two Spanish ships are now out, and a third is in the entrance ; the first 
one seems on fire. Was it from his shot ? Who can tell ? For a dozen 
heavy guns are firing at her. A second later and the trainer swings the 
nearest ship into his field, and he fires again. Another pair of men swing 
open the breech, and the hose is pointed down the bore. 

Loading the Big Guns. 

In the meantime, the first gun has been lowered into its loading position, 
the ammunition car has been hoisted in rear of it, and the rammer has forced 
home the shell. Twice more it enters the breech, each time pressing before 
it two hundred and seventy-five pounds of powder. With its last withdrawal, 
the empty ammunition car drops out of sight, the breech plug is swung into 
place, the gun-captain steps forward, slips in the primer, and connects the 
plugs of the firing wires^- 

" Ready, left ! " he reports. 

And so it goes, first one gun and then the other. It is hard and hot 
work. The firing is so fast and continuous that the fans cannot keep the 
turret clear of smoke. The men cough and gag ; down in the handling-room 
they are fainting. The smoke has deposited a gray scurf on skin and clothes; 
its alkali has attacked the paintwork and turned it to a slimy soap; the black, 
drippings from the gun-washing have fallen in foul splotches down the turret 
walls, and lie in puddles on the floors. 

John Meek, of Fremont, Ohio— father of George B. Meek, who was 
killed on the torpedo boat Winslow, at Cardenas, May nth— on August 29th 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



443 



received a letter and a check for one hundred dollars. The letter went to 
show that young Meek was the first American-born sailor killed in the Cuban 
war. The first officer killed was Ensign Bagley. The letter received by 
Mr. Meek read as follows : 

" Dear Sir : Some months ago a Cuban gentleman, who signs himself 
Cambresis, from the city of Mexico, sent General Thomas Estrada Palma, of 
New York, an order for one hundred dollars, to be given to the wife, children, 
or parents of the first American-born sailor who should die in the war to free 
Cuba. I have just now been informed that your son, George B. Meek, fire- 
man of the first class, on board the torpedo boat Winslow, was the first hero 
to shed his blood for the independence of our unfortunate and down-trodden 
people. I beg to enclose to you the check entrusted to my care, being a proof 
of the gratitude of the Cubans for their friends and allies, the Americans. 
Please acknowledge the receipt of the same in duplicate. 

" Yours, very respectfuly, Gonzalo De Quesada, 

" Charge d' Affairs of the Republic of Cuba." 

Meek was offered much more than its face value by parties who wanted 
the check as a souvenir of the war. 

Long Time Getting the News. 

An American ship, the Luzon, left the Hawaiian Islands before the war 
started, and after being at sea 143 days reached New York, after the peace 
protocol had been signed. The captain, J. G. Park, breathed a sigh of relief 
when he entered New York harbor, for it was not until then that he learned 
the war was over. 

" When we reached the South Atlantic," he said, " I began to look for 
Spaniards in earnest. All this time I was in doubt as to whether any war 
existed, but I took no chances. Every morning a man was sent to the mast- 
head to scan the ocean for signs of Spaniards. But off Platte we ran into one 
of those 'Pamperos,' as they call the sudden storms, and for twenty-four 
hours we lay hove-to under reefed lower topsails. 

" It was not until August 4th that I heard of the war. Then we spoke 
the German bark Thalia, which signalled, 'War between the United States and 
Spain.' It gave us a sort of shock to learn that what we expected was really 
so ; but when I looked at the matter it was clear there was but one thing to 
do — keep on for New York. 

"We caught the northeast trades in latitude 12 degres north, and we 
were bowling along under full sail and heading about nor'-nor'west on August 
20th, when Douglas, the first mate, came to me and announced solemnly that 
a Spanish privateer was after us at last, There, to the northwest, sure enough 



444 



THE SOLDIER AND SAILOR. 



was a big black-hulled steamer, with two funnels, cutting through the water 
at fourteen knots, and apparently heading directly for us. As she came 
nearer I saw that her decks were fairly black with men. I was prepared to 
surrender, for the Luzon wasn't making more than six knots, when the 
stranger veered more to the eastward and crossed our bows half a mile ahead. 
She was probably a transport, taking home the defeated troops ; but she 
didn't show any flag, and neither did we." 

Once when Captain Sigsbee, the commander of the ill-fated Maine, was 
in charge of the American coast-survey steamer Blake, he saved his vessel 
from destruction by deliberately sinking her. It was in one of the West 
Indian ports, and a hurricane was blowing. Slowly but surely she was drifting 
on a reef, and Captain Sigsbee knew that unless heroic measures were adopted 
the Blake would be ground to pieces. He knew also that if her keel rested on 
the sandy bottom the action of the waves would be much less severe, so he 
resolved to sink the ship. Naval men still speak of it as a daring thing, but 
Captain Sigsbee did not hesitate. He opened the ship's bottom, the water 
poured in and she quickly settled. After the storm had subsided divers were 
sent down, the water pumped out and the ship raised. 

Wanted to Fight. 

A member of the Illinois Naval Militia passed an examination success- 
fully, and was appointed Assistant Paymaster in the volunteer service, a rank 
which, in the regular service, pays about $1700 a year. The next day the 
Illinois man walked up to the commander of the ship to which he had been 
assigned and said : 

" Say, what do I do ? " 

The commander, overlooking the informality of his address, said: " Why, 
you make out pay the rolls and pay off the men." 
" Well, don't I fight ? " 
" Oh, no, you don't fight." 

" Well, to thunder with this job," said the Illinois man, " I want to fight." 

He was thereupon made a petty officer at about $30 per month with a 
chance of unlimited fighting, and he accepted the change joyfully. 

The great naval parade at New York on Saturday, August 20, was a 
notable event. Seven grim, black ships, the fighting backbone of the nation's 
tried navy, passed in review before the eyes of the nation's chief city, steamed 
up the North River to Grant's Tomb, and there fired a salute to the nation's 
mighty dead. The event was a triumph and a tribute — a triumph for the 
heroes of to-day, a tribute to the hero of yesterday. 

New York, has seen naval parages before • it had never before seen a 



The soldier and sailor. 



445 



naval parade that meant what this pageant meant. It had never welcomed a 
victorious fleet, fresh from battle and with the marks of conflict still upon it. 
Five years ago all the powers of the world had sent their ships there in 
celebration of our Columbian anniversary. There were Spanish ships there 
then. One of them lies shattered and riddled, a wreck on the Santiago coast. 
It was a beautiful celebration, that parade of 1893, but the graceful white ships 
that formed a shining line down the river could not stir American hearts as 
they were stirred on that August Saturday. 

No one who looked at them could say that those ships in their war paint 
were things of beauty. It was to a deeper sentiment than the aesthetic that 
they appealed. Each one of them stood for energy and skill and knowledge 
rightly directed, for duty cheerfully done, for death nobly faced, for the uphold- 
ing of the nation's honor and the flag's glory. The men behind the guns were 
there, too. The eager thousands on shore could not see them, but the saluting 
guns spoke for them. 

Cheering Multitude on Shore. 

As they passed in review — New York, Iowa, Indiana, Brooklyn, Massa- 
chusetts, Oregon and Texas — they were cheered from the shores and the boats 
by more people than Spain has left alive in Cuba. Not only did New York 
turn out, but for miles around people converged upon the city to gather on 
the shores of the North River, and that not for an event which had been 
determined upon long before and prepared for by excursions and special 
trains, but a parade that at best was dependent upon weather which might 
well have delayed the expected fleet. Not the least significant feature of the 
day was that never before had such an event been so promptly begun and 
completed. The navy was on time. 

What New York could do to honor the ships it did. Not only did it 
turn out its millions, but it floated Old Glory on a hundred thousand buildings ; 
it decked its shipping in gala colors and it answered the ships' salutes from the 
mouth of its own cannon, in forts and in the open. There was not much time 
for preparation, and there was not a great splendor of formality, but the day 
was one that New York will not forget so long as generation hands down its 
records to succeeding generation. 

It was a simple ceremonial. There were seven ships that sailed up the 
river, fired their salutes and sailed back to their anchorage. That was all. 
But the salutes were fired from guns that have made American history, and the 
men behind those guns and the ships that carried them have won new glory 
for our country. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



Hospital Work in Camp and at the Battle of Santiago. 

HE report of Lieutenant Guy C. M. Godfrey, Assistant Surgeon 
U. S. A., made to Surgeon General Sternberg on July 28th, is re- 
plete with interest, for it deals with the field hospital work before 
Santiago. The report follows : 
" Sir — As commanding officer of the hospital corps company of the 
First Division, Fifth Army Corps, I have the honor to submit the following 
report : 

"This company was organized at Tampa, Florida, on June 5th, 1898, 
just two days previous to the departure of the troops of the First Division for 
the transports at Fort Tampa, Florida. On the day of organization the 
strength of the company was eighteen privates. No non-commissioned 
officers were assigned to it until June 7th, 1898, when Acting Hospital Stew- 
ard McGuire reported for duty. He was at once detailed as First Sergeant 
of the company, which place he has held up to the present date. A cook and 
an assistant cook, orderlies for the medical officers and a clerk were at once 
letailed. 

" When the order came to move the men of the company performed the 
work necessary thereto, and the enthusiasm and esprit de corps with which 
they labored added greatly to the celerity and facility with which the task 
was accomplished. The personnel and supplies of the division hospital, as 
well as the hospital company, were placed on board the transport Santiago, 
and arrived off the coast of Cuba, near Santiago, on June 20th, 1898. 

" The day before landing all the material was brought up from the hold 
by the men of the company and stored on the main deck of the ship near the 
forward starboard port. This was done by direction of Major M. W. Wood, 
chief surgeon of this division, and proved a wise and efficient measure. 

"We landed on June 25th at Siboney, Cuba, and pitched camp on the 
beach. On this day thirteen of the privates of the hospital corps of the 
Seventy-first New York Volunteers joined the company. During the night 
of June 25th, Acting Hospital Steward McGuire and five of the men worked 
all night unloading the material for the hospital and storing it upon the 
beach under canvas. 

" On June 16th the men were given a short drill to perfect organization. 
Hurried preparations were made for a forward movement, and, as absolutely 
446 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



447 



iio transportation could be obtained from the Quartermaster's Department, 
these preparations consisted principally in collecting such necessary dress- 
ings and drugs as the men could carry on their backs and litters. 

"On June 27th the First Division moved forward and the hospital com- 
pany followed in rear of the Third Brigade, taking the ridge road towards 
Seville. Owing to the possibility of an immediate skirmish or battle, none of 
the medical officers rode their horses, but made pack mules of them, and 
carried as large a number of dressings, etc., as they could. The division 
camped in column of brigades, and the hospital company and division hos- 
pital pitched camp near the headquarters of the division commander. 

" On the following morning twenty men and the steward and two medical 
officers returned to Siboney and brought up four litters, and as many medical 
supplies as possible, starting about 2 o'clock p. m. ; after a soaking rain the 
company broke camp and was ordered to move forward two miles. This they 
did marching over a rocky, yet muddy road, carrying the hospital supplies 
with them. 

" They pitched their shelter tents on the soaking ground, while the 
officers, who had no shelter, slept in the open air exposed to dampness and 
poisoning. On June 29th the company moved forward a quarter of a mile 
further to a beautiful spot, with the Aquadores river on one side, and the Sib- 
oney road on the other. Here, on the 29th, the division hospital was estab- 
lished, and here it remained all through the terrible carnage that followed. 
On this day six wagon loads of supplies were brought up from the beach at 
Siboney, and tent flies were pitched and everything arranged for the coming 
battle. On the 30th of June the work of establishing the division hospital 
continued, and more of our supplies were brought from Siboney. 

Hospital Corps Inadequate. 

"On the morning of July 1st, the writer rode in the direction of the firing, 
towards El Caney, and while searching for an ambulance, rode to the extreme 
right and visited the firing line of the Twelfth Infantry. He then returned 
and reported to Major Wood, who directed an ambulance to be at once sent 
in that direction. Owing to the very small number of hospital corps men 
present with the division, and as the number of ambulances for the entire 
army was limited to three, it was impossible to expect them to convey the 
total number of wounded from the collecting stations to the First Division 
Hospital. 

" It was soon apparent that the entire force of the hospital corps would 
have to be used to man the hospital, but about noon, Acting Hospital Steward 
McGuire, two litter squads and an ambulance went forward up the San Juan 



448 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



road. As the Spanish shrapnel were bursting around the battery on El Paso 
hill, near the road, it was not deemed prudent to take the ambulance beyond 
that point. Therefore it remained, while the two litter squads pushed for- 
ward up the San Juan road. 

" One wounded man was found, who was not able to walk, about 400 
yards before reaching the furthest crossing of the Aquadores river. He was 
at once dressed and conveyed to the rear by a litter squad. The other litter 
and the steward advanced about 400 yards further to the east bank of the 
Aquadores, and there found a wounded man who could not walk. At this 
time the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry were immediately in front, and were 
making their advance towards San Juan hill. It can, therefore, be seen that 
the hospital litter squad in the rear was under the hottest kind of fire, and 
the bullets were cutting the leaves all around, but not one of these men fal- 
tered, or showed the least sign of fear. 

Wounded Coming from the Front. 

" At this time the wounded were coming back in a constant stream, and 
such as needed stimulation or dressing were at once attended to by the road- 
side. Many of them returned alone, others walked, supported by the arm of 
some comrade, while the more seriously wounded were borne upon litters of 
various kinds. 

" A few of those who returned had not received medical attention, but 
the majority of them were dressed with first aid packages by the regimental 
surgeons and their hospital corps men. 

" At about 1 p. m., Major Valery Havard, chief surgeon of the cavalry 
division, established an ambulance station on the east bank of the Aquadores, 
near El Paso. At this station many dressings were readjusted, and a few 
patients were dressed for the first time. Stimulants, medicines and dressings 
constituted the stock at this station, which was about a mile in advance of 
the first division hospital. 

" No point further to the front was safe from the enemy's fire. The am- 
bulances were worked constantly, and, considering their number, did re- 
markably well. Late in the afternoon ambulances were taken forward to near 
the furthest crossing of the Aquadores, but it was rather dangerous at all 
times, as the enemy kept the San Juan road enfiladed all day long. It was 
also very dangerous on account of Spanish guerrillas, who were located in 
trees overlooking the road. Several men, carrying wounded, were shot, and, 
indeed, in a few cases the patients themselves were hit. 

" Later in the afternoon a dressing station was established at the furthest 
point where the San Juan road crossed the Aquadores. At this place there 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



449 



was a vertical bank, about 4 feet high, beneath which was a gravel beach. 
Here a certain amount of shelter was obtained, but bullets frequently cut 
through the bushes or splashed up the water in the creek. 

" At one time it was enfiladed by Spanish sharpshooters in trees up the 
creek. Several horses were killed here, but no patients, surgeons or attend- 
ants were injured that afternoon. It was at this place on the following morn- 
ing that Dr. Danforth was killed. Late in the afternoon several escort 
wagons, having carried ammunition to the front, were turned to the writer 
by Lieutenant J D. Miley, General Shafter's aide-de-camp. These were 
taken to this station and filled with the wounded, who were transported to 
the division hospital. 

" Empty army wagons that could be found were used for this purpose, 
and the wounded kept coming into the hospital all night. On the following 
morning an ambulance and two wagons were taken to the dressing station 
just described, and the wounded brought in — among them being Surgeon A. 
A. Danforth, who was shot through the head. Major S. Q. Robinson had 
assumed command of this station on the previous afternoon, but at this time 
he, with Captain W. D. McCaw, rejoined their regiments, and left the station 
in charge of Captain Paul Newgarden. 

Work Performed by Hospital Corps. 

" Major V. Havard arrived later, and established an ambulance station 
at this point, which was then comparatively safe. It was customary during 
the battle for the writer to send litters and dressings to the front in the empty 
ambulances. During and after the battle the men of the hospital corps com- 
pany did much of the work in the first division hospital. They assisted in 
operations, helped in applying dressings, made soup and coffee, carried pa- 
tients to and from the operating tables, and acted as nurses to the wounded. 
With but few exceptions they worked all day, all night, all the following day 
and most of the next night. They were assisted by members of the bands 
of regiments and by some of the hospital corps men of the various regi- 
ments. " 

Many of the soldiers wounded or taken ill at Santiago were removed to 
Montauk Point, and afterwards taken to Philadelphia hospitals for treatment. 
These men had no complaints to make against Camp Wikoff Hospital, but 
they said the camp was not healthy, and they blamed it all on that. They 
told grim stories of the campaign before Santiago, though, but most of them 
were about the volunteers. A regular army man forgets his own troubles in 
regarding the troubles of the volunteers. In fact, a regular soldier is so sure 
that he will be well cared for that he would never be able to recognize trouble 
29 



450 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



unless it was of the worst kind. To him the words " regular army " seem 
like a spell that makes trouble impossible. 

" Was there any trouble about short rations at Camp Wikoff?" a reporter 
asked, 

" Not with us." 

(t Always got your meals on time ? " 

" Sure. We are the regular army, and theyVe got to feed us right on 
the minute." The idea of a hitch seemed an impossibility. 

" It is a bad camp, though," they said, but without any more resentment 
than if they had said : " It was very rainy. You lie in your tent all night 
and listen to the frogs, and the doctors pour quinine into you all day long." 

Commissary Supplies Sold. 

" The worst commissary and hospital troubles were down there around 
Santiago," one of the soldiers said. "There were plenty of things sent down 
there for us, Red Cross stuff and that kind of things, but we never got them. 
They were stopped by commissary officers and sold to us. This is all hard 
enough to say, but we are all intelligent men, and understand things we see 
around a commissary depot, and although we can't give names, because we 
don't know them, we are sure enough about it, for all that. The Red Cross 
stuff and delicacies were marked care of the Commissary Department, and it 
was easy enough for a crookecl commissary man to open them up and sell 
them. More than one commissary officer has been sent back to Baiquiri 
or on to Santiago under arrest. Of course, it was all done without any noise, 
and nobody knew anything about it except the soldiers who saw the arrest 
and the officers directly concerned. Maybe the papers are lying about some- 
where in Santiago and will be dug up by and by. If you had seen your best 
friends sick and longing for stuff that had been sent to them, but never deliv- 
ered, you'd like to see an axe fall on somebody." 

Third Cavalry men said that they saw a contract physician within an ace 
of being strung up by his thumbs in a hospital near the San Juan Hill. The 
surgeon was going over his sick list perfunctorily, treating the patients as if 
they were a lot of hospital beats." " You get gruel, and you get broth, and 
you get porridge, and the rest of you fellows go and hustle for your own 
breakfasts." 

A Sixth Cavalry captain came into the hospital one day when this had 
been continued some time, and found the surgeon at " sick call" He grabbed 
him by the arm and dragged him to a tent where a Sixth Cavalry man was 
lying, in woful need of care and proper food. " This won't do. I didn't send 
him here to be treated like this. That man is going to have proper attention 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



451 



and treatment at once, or I'll know why, and you, sir, will have to stop your 

brutal neglect of my men and the other men here or Til lead the 

crowd that strings you up by the thumbs." 

The contract surgeon saw that the captain was in earnest, and stopped 
not to parley. He jumped on a horse and rode into Santiago, and the hospital 
at San Juan saw him never again. 

" The trouble with the regular rations was mostly in the volunteer regi- 
ments/' they said. " One of the regiments drew only one day's rations for 
four days. Their men came begging among the regulars. The commissaries 
in the volunteers weren't worth much. It takes a regular army officer to get 
the stuff out of a commissary depot." 

The men spoke gently of Shafter ; they had blame for very few men, but 
they were enthusiastic in their admiration of General Wheeler's bravery. 
They agreed that if anybody had enlisted for excitement and to see the war 
generally, he would be luckiest if he could be General Wheeler's orderly. 

They said the Seventy-first New York lagged not through cowardice of 
its men, but through the fault of its officers. Regular regiments walked past 
and through them as they were trying to form at the foot of a hill, after a 
long dash under fire. They had gotten ahead of their officers, and were all 
at sea. " Come on, boys," said their colonel, " don't let them call you cowards." 

" But they had no officers, so what could they do?" said the man who 
was telling the story. " A company's no good without its officers. I guess 
they were sorry then that they had stuck out so strong for their own officers, 
and hadn't asked for regular army men. 

" There was a mix up all along the line the first day, and two or three 
regiments were all mixed together. You couldn't find more than four men 
of any company in one bunch. They didn't know where they belonged." 

A Woman's View. 

In writing of the Military Hospital at Santiago, Teresa Dean, a well- 
known newspaper and magazine contributor, said : 

" These sick and wounded soldiers in the tents — and the officers in the 
hospital proper — are like little children with the nurses. The tents and cots 
are sweet and clean, and the soldiers themselves perfectly so. The first thing 
some of them asked for was finger-nail files. It was the first thing I noticed 
in going through the hospitals — the perfect condition of finger-nails. In my 
camp peregrinations of the past week finger nails had not been a specialty in 
the soldier's care of himself. Tooth brushes were next on the list, and 
pajamas, underclothing, and slippers were ready for them as they were brought 
into the hospital from the transports. 



452 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



" The pajamas are the only suits the wounded have at present. Their 
uniforms were cut from them and burned, having, in some cases, never been 
off since they sailed from Tampa, June 13. It took several baths to get the 
accumulations of Cuban soil from their bodies, but the ' first aid ; dressing and 
only dressing the wounds had had was remarkably successful. 

" One young soldier, a member of the Seventy-first New York, is hob- 
bling around in ward ' 23 ' with five bullet wounds in his leg and three in his 
chest. He is the life of the tent. His name is Murphy. There is a broad 
smile on Murphy's face all the time. There all are happy. They say they 
know now what heaven is. They were all gaunt and starved when they 
arrived. Their faces are filling out, and they are gradually getting over the 
terrible hunger. 

" Their eyes follow the nurses around wistfully, gratefully, and they are 
all patient and uncomplaining. There are only nine women nurses, but they 
are assisted most effectually by medical students from Harvard and from the 
University of Pennsylvania. 

"The pajamas and many things — underclothing, slippers, sheets, and 
pillow cases, towels, soaps, and other necessities — are sent by different relief 
societies. The dear women of the country! While they do not forget neces- 
sities, neither do they omit sentiment. Some of the sheets have stitched 
texts from the Scriptures. Some of the nurses tuck these in at the foot of the 
cot, out of sight of the sick soldier, so that they will not bother him. Other 
nurses bring the text up to the head of the cot and dutifully call attention to 
it. Some of the pockets of the pajamas have pious letters tucked in; others 
have sentimental letters, and again there will be just the name and address of 
the romantic sender. 

" These tender missives fall to the lot of the colored soldier as well as to 
the white, and help to interest or amuse one as well as the other. There is 
not much romance in real war. Romance comes only in the novel and in the 
play after war is over:'' 

A Olergyman's Observations. 

Rev. Dr. Henry C. McCook, an eminent Philadelphia clergyman and 
member of the National Relief Commission, was sent by President McKinley 
to investigate the complaints as to the condition of the soldiers at Santiago. 
In a letter that he wrote home, he gives a vivid picture of what he saw there. 
He wrote ; 

"Santiago de Cuba, Aug. 25, 1898. 

"'Is it grip?' 

" ' No, senor/ said the Cuban doctor, shrugging his shoulders. Then 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



453 



he smiled and looked thoughtful, and shook his head. ' Eet iss calenturua. 
Eet iss malarial fever. Eet is ' 

" ' It's the devil's own disease ! ' broke in the major, with an emphasis 
that showed how personal and profound was the experience from which he 
spoke. By whatever name doctors call it, when folk have it they are apt to 
adopt the major's diagnosis with various descriptive addenda, which it would 
be impolite to put into print. As to details, take this invoice: 

" Item — A headache, getting harder and heavier, until the head longs for 
a pillow on the block of ' the maiden ' in the grass market of Edinburgh, or 
in the basket of a Parisian guillotine. Do you know what a ' sluting ' head- 
ache is ? That's it ! 

" Item — A fever, growing hot, hotter, hottest ! Does the water on your 
brow relieve it ? Yes, until it begins to boil ! 

" Item — Sore bones, sorer bones, break bones ! Yon Tennessee hospital 
steward says he ' reckons it is a kind of break-bone fever, anyhow.' And he 
is not now vending a fairy story, like the one he signed when he declared 
himself a yellow-fever immune in order to be sent to Santiago. 

" ' Well, ye-es,' he confessed, ' I did prevairycate, I allow. But anything 
was kyind of axcusable to git out of Camp Alger ! ' 

Ailments in Camp. 

"Item — Nausea. And more nausea. And — O — oh! 'Seems kyndeh 
like old times on the Resolute off Cape Hatteras,' remarks the hospital steward 
But he speaks from his own experience, for the present nauseated victim is 
not subject to sea sickness. 

"Item — Chills; growing chillier; ch-ch-chatter ; chat-chat-ter-rr-rr-oh ! 
Did the head burst ? No ! If it only would, and be done with it ! ' Pull up 
the blanket, steward. I'm freezing. No ! throw it off. I'm burning up. My 
back ! my bones ! my head ! ' 

" Item — Weak, weaker, weakest of all weak things in this wide world. 
How can a strong man wilt into this utter worthlessness within three days ? 
Calentura, hey? No wonder Shafter's victorious army withered before it, and 
had to be returned home to recuperate. Did you ever doubt the story of the 
Assyrian army that came down under ancient Sennacherib ' like a wolf on the 
fold, and his cohorts were gleaming with purple and gold,' but was blighted 
in one night ? 

" If the angels of the Lord then and there breathed forth calentura, the 
deed would have been done. I shall persist in calling it grip, a horrible Cuban 
species. At all events, it is mean enough a monster of morbidity to bear that 
generic name. From calentura, grip and yellow fever, ' Good Lord deliver us ! i 



454 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



" The most prominent objects in Santiago as one looks at the city from 
the harbor are the cathedral and the military and civil hospitals. 

" The former is a structure of the latter part of last century, built upon 
the ruins of an older sanctuary, overthrown by an earthquake. 

" It sits almost in the midst of the hill upon which the town is built, and 
is raised upon a platform of brick work. The high blank wall of the platform 
faces the little square called the Plaza, on the opposite side of which is the 
long, low building known as the municipal palace, which will be historic in 
American records as the headquarters of General Shafter and the scene of 
the formal transfer of power from Spain to the United States. Toward the east 
the cathedral platform slopes down in a stepped terrace of brick to the 
street. 

" The other sides of the Plaza are occupied by the San Carlos or Cuban 
Club on the west, and the Spanish Club and Venus Restaurant on the east. 
The high porch of the Cuban Club is a tempting refuge from the sun, and its 
easy chairs invite to an hour's lounge. Stepping within, one finds its cool, 
large hall with its white marble floor, its library and music room, all hospita- 
bly open to American visitors. Here in the evening especially citizens and 
soldiers sit and sip coffee and smoke and discuss politics, and chat away the 
lonely hours of absence from home and loved ones. 

Songs of Home and Country. 

u In the music room more than once I have found a soldier on the piano 
stool playing and singing the songs of the dear home land. At such times 
men gather about the musician and join in the chorus. The writer pleads 
guilty of having helped ' the boys ' make the Cuban air vibrate with familiar 
American melodies. These extemporized concerts are sure to wind up with 
' Star Spangled Banner,' which no one applauds more heartily than the native 
Cubans. 

" The plaza itself often reflects the picturesque and varied life of this 
almost oriental town. The benches along the walks, backed by tawdry plants 
and shaded by the trees on the corners, are occupied by a parti-colored throng. 
In one corner is a squad of the provost guard. They have muskets and cart- 
ridge belts, and are therefore soldiers. Otherwise, their ugly, soiled campaign 
hats, blue shirts, without coats and with ' galluses,' have a scant soldierly 
aspect. They have rounded up a miscellaneous lot, chiefly military offenders^ 
who await a hearing before General Wood. 

" Yonder sits a group of soldiers in kharki uniforms, whose buff is sadly 
soiled and whose blue facings are ' fading, still fading.' Buff and blue are good 
historic Continental colors, but when veneered by adhesive Cuban (or Ameri- 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



455 



can) soil after a few weeks' campaigning, they suggest anything rather than 
the pomp and glory of war. 

" A priest comes over from Cathedral-way, his long black dress and 
shovel hat, giving, against the tropical greenery, a striking study in black, and 
adding a sort of dignity to the scene. Civil sits a group of soldiers in kharki 
uniforms, with machete at belts, who are rolling cigarettes and chatting while 
they wait to report. Spanish officers cross the plaza on their way to the 
Spanish Club or the restaurant. 

" At the door of the latter is a bunch of saddle horses, whose owners are 
varying the camp menu by a bite and cup of civil cookery. A similar equine 
conclave marks the entrance to the palace, and at the head or on the saddle of 
every one is a boy. These future Cuban statesmen have ' caught on ' rapidly 
— literally so, for it is the bridle rein that is here the objective point to which 
the lad holds. 

"As a horseman's form looms in view across the plaza or around the 
corner, he is met by a bevy of these lads, of all sizes and divers shades from 
ebony to olive. They come up at full speed, bareheaded, arms flying, voices 
stridently clamoring, and they follow the galloping nag close alongside or like 
pendants to his tail. The cavalier halts. Whoop-hurrah ! The Philistines be 
upon him ! 

" They rush to the horse's head. They seize the nose-band, the throat- 
latch, the bridle, the rein, and in high-keyed antiphonals proffer their services 
to hold Senor's caballo. Senor waves his whip in vain. He dismounts. He 
surrenders. 

" His steed is committed to the care of a budding Cuban citizen. Great 
is Muchacho — the boy ! Mighty is the American nickel — cinco ! These 
lads are learning. 

Santiago's Hospital. 

" Next to the Cathedral, the most prominent building in Santiago is the 
hospital. It occupies the crest of the hill on which the city stands, and from 
the harbor its red cross flag seems to wave in the midst of a tropical garden. 
Let us climb the height from the little square (placeta) and Church of Dolores. 
Take this winding path and bear away through masses of shrubbery, festooned 
with spider webs, to this long steep stairway, the southern abroach. 

" Stand now at the landing and view the scene. You will have little 
heart for it when you come out. Over the mass of wrinkled roof tops of red 
tiles, that seem almost to touch one another, so narrow are the streets, you 
see the bay, or that part which forms the harbor. The remainder is hidden 
by the fold in the mountains. Ships lie at anchor, among them, the Mexico, 
with General Shafter on board en route for home in the wake of his trium- 



456 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



phant army. Only the sick and convalescent remnants of the army of San- 
tiago now remain, they and the Silent Battalion of the Fallen. 

" The little tug Esmeralda snorts at the dock waiting to take off Colonel 
McClernand, Major Groesbeck, the able judge advocate, and others of the staff 
who go home with their chief. Further out lies the Spanish ship that is to 
transport the next load of the capitulated Spanish army. Poor fellows ! 
Thirteen of them died to-day on their way to the vessel — died with their faces 
toward home. 

" Yonder is the Berkshire (No. 9), which will take two or three hundred 
convalescent American soldiers into the pure ocean air and to the happy 
shores of 1 God's own country ! ' That is what the lads call it, with a quaver 
in their tones, and they are not far astray in their nomenclature. 

" Beyond the bay the mountains rise, their rigid sides green with sum- 
mer's verdure, and their tops flecked with veils of misty cloud. Whichever 
way one turns these beautiful mountains fill the vista, and here and there a 
white patch in the greenery shows a canvas city of American soldiers. It is 
a beautiful scene. Like Jerusalem of old, 'the mountains are round about' 
Santiago, and with proper use of money and engineering skill, this city could 
be made an exceedingly attractive residence. Even in midsummer it might 
be tolerably pleasant. 

" The sun's fervor is indeed terrific from 1 1 a.m. to 4 p.m., but even during 
those hours one is not uncomfortable in the shade. The nights on an average 
are cooler than in Philadelphia at this season, and the early mornings are 
often cool enough for a light blanket. 

Yellow Fever's Scourge. 

" But, just now, do you see that tongue of land pushing out into the bay 
from the west side of the port ? You note the hospital tents there, how they 
are isolated from the rest of the town. See yon boat pulling from the shore ? 
It carries a yellow-fever patient to that tongue-like peninsula. The yellow- 
fever hospital is there — there and at Siboney. Beautiful as Santiago is, the 
presence of this pest among us has shut the world's gates against the port. 
Yet, somehow, we never think of it. The fact is, there are so few cases and 
the type is so comparatively mild that people come and go and show no con- 
cern. I have been two weeks at the civil hospital aiding General Wood to 
reorganize it and acting as a general inspector, and have seen but one case. 

" Yet it is here. Of that there is no doubt. It is not a 1 fake fever,' as 
the gallant and eloquent colonel of the Rough Riders declared in his ' round 
robin' appeal. Certainly, it is not comparable in malignancy of type or 
extent of distribution to some of the visitations that have scourged our own 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



457 



coasts. But, as one of the special physicians remarked to me a few hours 
ago, there are cases tragic enough, God knows ! 

" If you will come with me through this rather imposing entrance to the 
civil hospital, you will find that yellow fever is a small factor in the troubles 
of this people. This is the court-yard. ' How beautiful.' Yes, that is the 
first impression. With singular good taste the kitchen has been placed in the 
center of the court, and is surrounded by tropical plants, among which towers 
a cocoa-nut tree with its green clusters of fruits. 

" Do not fancy that any such delicacies as abound in our Philadelphia 
hospital diet kitchens are to be found here. No ! But there is a rice-broth 
and plenty of it. We thank God for that and take courage. There will be 
canned milk to-morrow — if somebody don't blunder. And ice (think of that !) 
— ice, too, if something don't go wrong ; for, alas, things do go wrong, and 
have been going wrong, and so will continue until perfect order rises out of 
chaos. No one who has not been through the experience can adequately 
conceive of the state of things which here and elsewhere General Wood has 
had to face in his administration of civil affairs. 

" The chief diseases are dysentery, diarrhoea and malarial fever. The 
town is full of like cases. Two funerals passed my lodgings on the Placeta 
Dolores to-day. One was a white coffin, carried on the shoulders of two 
men, with one man following as mourner. The other was more pretentious; 
four bearers shouldered the black coffin, and there were two mourners in the 
funeral train. 

In the Fever Hospital. 

" What has caused this invasion ? I have already said it is the aftermath 
of war. The notice of Admiral Sampson that the city would be bombarded 
drove the panic-stricken people through both Spanish and American lines to 
El Caney. That exodus cost thousands of lives and sewed the seeds of 
untold miseries. The chief sufferers were Cubans, the very people in whose 
behalf we took up arms. 

" The sickness and death in Santiago to-day is chiefly the reflex of the 
El Caney exodus, with its indescribable horrors. Surely justice as well as hu- 
manity pleads with the American people in behalf of these sufferers. Let us 
not spare ! Encourage the President and Secretary of War, who are just and 
humane men, to open wide hands to Santiago, and encourage Major General 
Lawton and General Wood in their earnest and benevolent efforts to bring 
relief to every civil ill. 

" I have left my readers standing in the corridor of the Civil Hospital. 
Pardon for the disrespect. But no harm is done. You have but to look 
around, for the corridor is full of cots, the overflow of the wards. I will not 



458 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



take you further. Those wards are crowded ; every bed taken, and fifty men 
are lying there and dying there on the bare floor. 

" To-day we got mattresses and pillows. To morrow we shall have cots. 
Shall we ? We have hoped so every day for a week. 

" Manana — to-morow ! How soon the life-consuming torridity of this 
tropical sun burns out even American energy and promptitude. It is the vice 
of all natives ; it is the sorrow of the suffering ; it is doom to the sick — 
manana ! 

" Let me close this story of this new civic ward of the American nation 
with an incident that greatly affected me. On my first visit, while going into 
the place with the Sisters of Charity who had come from America to nurse 
the sick, we had just passed out of one of the male wards when we heard 
seme one calling behind us : 'Americano! Americano !' 

" One of the Cuban nurses stood at the ward door waving his hands fran- 
tically, pointing backward and shouting Spanish. 

" ' There is an American man sick in here,' explained Mr. Astwood, our 
interpreter. 

A Joyous Greeting. 

" We turned back. A handsome mulatto lad lay upon a cot with both 
arms outstretched toward us, his face radiant for the moment amidst his pains 
at the welcome greeting of our .English tongue. He clasped my hands con- 
vulsively. 

" ' What is the matter?' 

" ' Nothing but " yaller janders." ' 

et He would be all right if his head did not hurt so. 

" His name was Charles Franklin, of Logan, Colorado, and he was ' the 
boy ' of some officer in the Seventh United States Regulars. 

" His mind began to wander. The pain became so severe that he rolled 
upon his cot, then sat up upon it. 

Let us pray!' ~I kneeled at his bedside, and holding his hand com- 
mended him, body and soul, to God. The soothing influence of the devo- 
tions stilled the distracted nerves. He was quiet while I prayed. It was a 
striking scene. The good Sisters joined in the prayer, reverently bowing, the 
tall form of Mr. Astwood bending in their midst. The hospital nurses looked 
on with subdued mien. The sick from their surrounding cots turned to gaze 
at us, their wan, pallid faces lit up by a moment's 'curiosity. 

" I left the lad with the apostolic benediction on. his brow and turned 
away. 

" ' It is our only case of yellow fever,' said the Spanish Sister Superior. 
He will surely die ; he is in the last stage. 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



459 



" ' Did you say yellow fever ? ' I asked. 

"'Yes,' just a little startled, perhaps, said our American Sister Mary. 
' I could tell it by the eyes/ 

" ' And by the odor,' added Sister Apollonia. 

" ' And my good doctor,' said Sister Regis, running up to me, ' you have 
been exposed to the infection ! You held his hands. You took his breath. 
But do not fear. It was an act of charity, and our Heavenly Father will 
surely care for you.' 

" Nevertheless, the kind lady whipped out of some mysterious receptacle 
about her dress a bottle of some disinfectant stuff, and bidding me hold out 
my hands, filled the palms and made me lave the skin. Like Oliver Crom- 
well, she ' trusted in God, but kept her remedies ready.' Good theology and 
good practice. 

u Poor lad ! He was isolated at once, and three doctors ' sat ' upon him 
when he died. Two said yellow fever, one said malignant malarial. All the 
same, his campaign in Cuba is ended, and, let us hope, his spirit rests in 
peace." 

Captain Thomas H. McKee, journal clerk of the House of Representa- 
tives, made some very interesting comparisons between the war with Spain 
and the Civil War, which show the casualties and sufferings of the war with 
Spain to have been miraculously light. The records of the War Department 
refute the contention of sensationalists that there have been unusual hardships, 
death and suffering. 

Losses in Battle. 

Captain McKee makes a comparison of General Shafter's loss at Santiago 
with that of General Hancock's at the battle of Fredericksburg as follows : 

" The Fifth Army Corps commanded by Major-General Shafter was com- 
posed of six regiments of regular cavalry, nine batteries of regular artillery, 
eighteen regiments of regular infantry and three regiments of volunteer in- 
fantry. He had for duty at the time of the attack on Santiago, July 1st, 17,358 
men and 852 officers. These were engaged through a series of assaults and 
battles covering more than a week. The War Department officially reports 
the losses as follows: 

"Officers killed, 23 ; men killed, 222; officers wounded, 92; men wounded, 
1285. 

" For purposes of comparison, Hancock's division composed of seventeen 
regiments of infantry and one battery of artillery in the battle of Fredericks- 
burg, 1862, while assaulting Marye's Heights, December 13th, the following 
losses are officially reported; Men engaged, 4,844; killed, 291; wounded, 
t ,58 1 ; missing, 229; a total of 2,029 or 41^ per cent. 



460 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



u The Civil War continued for four years, in which 1,882 battles were 
fought, being an average of more than one battle for each da}- of the entire 
war. Of this number in 112 battles there were more than 5CO men killed on 
one side, so that, in each month of the Civil War, thirty-nine battles were 
fought, two of which were of the class in which more than 500 were killed 
on one side; making at the lowest estimate more than a thousand men killed 
in battle in each month of the Civil War from the beginning to the close, 

Franco-German War Figures. 

" Captain Otto Brendt, of the Austro-Hunganan general staff, publishes 
some interesting figures as to the losses of the combatants in the last great 
war, that between France and Germany. France, he says, lost as many as 
136,000 men, of whom some 80,000 died of wounds received in battle, 36000 
by sickness, accident, suicide, etc., and 20,000 in German prisons. The sta- 
tistician estimates that the French who were wounded, but survived, num- 
bered 138,000, those injured on the march or by accident, 11,421 ; those who 
recovered from illness, 328,000, making a total of 477.421 direct sufferers. 
The German killed numbered 40,877; 17,255 died on the field, and 21,023 in 
the ambulances, making 79,155 in all. The wounded who survived numbered 
18,543-" 

The siege of Santiago is regarded as one of the desperate struggles of 
the century and Captain McKee compares the losses at Santiago and those in 
some of the great struggles of the war. He says : 

" The First Minnesota Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg went into 
action with 262 officers and men, of which number 47 were killed, and 168 
wounded, or a loss of 82 per cent. Of the foregoing, 17 officers were killed 
and wounded, including the colonel, lieutenant-colonel, major and adjutant. 
The 10 1st New York at the second Battle of Bull Run went into action with 
168 men, of which number 6 were killed, 101 wounded, 17 missing, a total 
loss of 73^ per cent. The First Maine Heavy Artillery at Petersburg went 
into action with 950 men, of which number 115 were killed, 489 wounded, 28 
missing, a total of 66^ per cent. 

" The loss during the siege of Santiago in General Shafter's army was as 
follows: Troops engaged, 17,358 men and 852 officers*, killed, 222 men and 
23 officers; wounded, 1.285 men, 92 officers; less than 10 per cent. 

" The victory at Santiago was one of the most brilliant in our history, 
but the cost in life and limb sinks into that of the most ordinary when com- 
pared to the great losses of other wars. 

" The Secretary of War wanted to have an experienced officer in every 
company and regiment organized by detail and promotions from the regular 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



461 



army, but Congress said ' No, the Governors must be permitted to appoint all 
volunteer officers.' " 

The rapid organization and equipment of the army are apparent when 
compared with what was done at the beginning of the war. 

General George B. McClellan, after he retired from command, stated the 
following : " I assumed command of the army of the United States July 26, 
1 861, one day after the battle of Bull Run. There were about 50.000 volun- 
teers in and about Washington. I at once commenced the organization of an 
army of 150,000 men, and it required until midwinter to organize and equip 
the infantry. The artillery was not ready for the field until spring, requiring 
the greater part of one year." 

A Canadian's Eulogy. 

A correspondent of the Toronto, Canada, Mail and Empire, who saw our 
troops returning from Cuba, wrote this glowing tribute : 

" The ' boys in blue ' are coming home. A couple of weeks ago I 
watched a splendid army embark, bands playing, colors flying, people cheer- 
ing, on the mile of great ships that lay along the wharves, gangways out. 
Last night, by the light of a few lanterns, I watched an army of wounded men 
in ragged and faded uniforms, with arms, heads, feet swathed in bandages dis- 
embark and pass, limping, halt, bowed over — on litters, in ambulances, in 
cabs — through lines of people who stood there silent, looking at them. 

" No bands, no flying colors, no cheering. Pride and grief filled every 
heart too full to permit the tongue to give expression. Never in the whole 
course of my life, never at any pageant, any procession, did I feel anything 
like the thrill that passed through me when the first man, with the sleeve and 
side of his shirt cut away and half his body wrapped about by linen cloths, 
moved slowly and painfully along between two stalwart marines. 

" Armed with war passes, I was permitted to pass by the soldier who 
was guarding the long dock. At its further end lay the transport Iroquois, 
with her load of broken-down men. The hospital corps, aided by marines 
and volunteers, was moving hurriedly forward, carrying litters. At the foot 
of the wharf the Red Cross ambulances stood in a bunch, supplemented by 
street cars, cabs, open carriages, wagons — every vehicle that Key West could 
turn out. Very few of those engaged in the work of moving the wounded 
men were allowed at the side of the big transport There was no bustle, no 
clamor, no confusion. 

" Lieutenant Marix, of the marines, would call out an order, two men 
would mount the steps leading to a lower deck, while two more waited at the 
foot of the ladder, These were so placed to aid the wounded and relieve them 



462 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



of their baggage and accoutrements. At a little table on the lower deck sat 
a couple of men taking down the names and issuing tickets. Each man got 
his billet to the convent hospital. 

" The poor fellows could be seen descending painfully, the little ticket 
caught between their teeth, their arms or legs helpless, their whole bodies 
limp and drooping. And yet these men had, many of them, walked fifteen 
miles from the front to the coast, along the cruel road in Santiago, under the 
blistering rays of the fierce Cuban sun. And now they were done up. 

Tired, Home to Rest. 

" Tired, broken, weary men, coming home to rest. There was not a 
murmur from any of them. More than half the poor fellows were keeping 
up brave: y to show how little they cared about wounds. Scores of them 
expressed to me personally their hope that they would be made well quickly 
and sent down to the front again. The record they brought with them was 
the glorious one of splendid fighting, magnificent courage, and many, many 
wounds. 

" Again one saw in the sporadic light of moving lanterns heaps of bag- 
gage thrown about the wharf; guns, cartridge belts, canteens, and everywhere, 
lying, crouching, thrown down prone, soldiers. Not now shouting ' On to 
Cuba ! ? Not singing, or laughing, or cheering as they toiled on, sweating and 
dusty, in the heat of a Southern midsummer day. These men, wounded, 
weary, sitting on their little bundles, their forms drooping, their limbs band- 
aged, presented a thousand times more heroic, more touching picture. They 
had given a cheer as the ship came in and home was sighted — just one long 
cheer — after that silence, and waiting with dogged patience to be told off in 
squads for the hospital. 

" Not that they were not chatty and cheerful individually. Every man 
I spoke to gave me some bright story of the fighting, spoke some word of 
gladness at sight of home, or said cheerily how he hoped to be all right in a 
couple of weeks and down again at the front. No man seemed daunted ; no 
man lacked heart and courage. Bodily pain and sickness overcame many, 
and the inert, listless figures on the stretchers were dreadful to see ; but the 
fighting heart was there, and the brave spirit and the unflinching front. I 
take off my hat to you, soldiers of the great republic. 

" Moving about among them I heard many a little story. ' Come over 
to the light and I'll show you the finest relic of the war,' said a soldier, half 
of whose body was bound up in white cloths. We stooped to the lantern. 
' See this.' He took something from his pocket with his sound hand and 
gave it to me. It was a Mauser bullet which had struck a cartridge in his 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



463 



belt, and embedded itself there, forming a perfect cross. ' That cartridge 
saved my life,' said the man. ' I'm pretty well chewed up, but I wouldn't be 
talking to you here to-night if that Mauser had got under my belt.' 

" In squads those wounded who were able to stagger along somehow 
were marched to the waiting cars. What a march! They fell into line, 
indeed, and faced about at the word of command — but the step! This man 
hopping on one foot, holding the other bandaged one well up from the 
ground ; that one on crutches improvised out of his Krag-Jorgensen and a 
small, weak stick which some one had lent him. Another stumbling forward 
with drooping head, between two men who supported him; another dragging 
a useless leg after him, and moving slowly and painfully. 

" The son of a millionaire — one of the famous Rough Riders — passed with 
his shirt literally in rags that streamed about him, and his arm in a sling. The 
faces of all the men were covered with heavy growths of hair, and what you 
could see of these faces was pale and peaked. It seemed incredible that a 
few short weeks could so change men from splendid young athletes to seem- 
ingly aged and decrepit creatures. You can have no idea of the dreadfulness 
of war until you have seen these things. 

" Three hundred and fifty maimed and wounded men were taken off the 
transport that night. Those who were able to hobble were taken off first. 
Then came the call for litters. Had you been there a shudder would have 
passed through you as you saw those poor helpless forms lifted to the 
stretchers, lowered from the deck, and laid out there, under the light of the 
moon, on the wharf. 

Pills for all Ills. 

"They lay just as they had been placed — some doubled up, some stretched 
out straightly, with their campaign hats laid on their breasts and their tobacco 
pouches strung at their wrists ; some with bare feet, many under the gray 
army blanket. A bearer stood at the head and foot of each litter, with the 
straps cast about his neck. The order came: 'Lift litters! Carefully now, 
carefully. Right foot first. March ! ' And the sad little regiments tramped 
down the wharf. Some of the poor creatures lying there seemed dead, all 
but the eyes, which burned with fever brightness. Those eyes turned hither 
and thither, as if looking for the face of a friend; eager, hungry, searching 
eyes. "What stories they told ! " 

Samuel Linah, of Gettysburg, Pa., a private of Company D, Twelfth In- 
fantry, a hero of El Caney, told a thrilling story of his experiences. His 
account indicated considerable neglect of the wounded and sick. He said : 

" We were in the thick of the fight at El Caney block house and before 



464 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



Santiago, but won't get due credit until the official history of the war is 
printed. A man who has gone through the suffering endured in Cuba during 
the three days' fight, and even after hostilities had ceased, is prepared to face 
any death. There was no choice of horrors, and death from a Mauser bullet 
was not one of the worst of them. 

" I saw the slaughter of the Rough Riders, and there is no use trying to 
hide the facts, for we all shuddered. I did not mind viewing dead bodies as 
they lay unmutilated. Hamilton Fish's body was one of the first we passed, 
and as we went farther, we came across the men who had been caught by the 
brass-covered bullets of the shorter range rifles of the Spaniards. I had one of 
these bullets which killed a poor fellow, but when I was taken ill the Cubans 
rifled my knapsack, and the only curio I have left is a piece of the Spanish 
flag from the block house. 

Rough Riders Slaughtered. 

" When it became known among us that brass bullets were being used 
we all presented a gruesome spectacle. The wounded who lay in the path of 
our march presented a sickly sight. We never faltered, as the fight would 
indicate, but for a time our courage was of the skim-milk order. The 
slaughter of the Rough Riders was a sickening sight, and had it not been for 
the Tenth Cavalry there would not have been one of them left to-day. 

" I tell you those colored cavalrymen and infantrymen are the cream of 
the army. It is true they are picked men, but it shows what a well-organ- 
ized body of men can do. We were proud of the chance to fight side by 
side with them. 

" After the fighting ceased and we were waiting the signing of the pro- 
tocol, we began to feel the effects of the strain under which we had been 
laboring for so many days. I was taken ill, and there was nothing to give a 
sick man but quinine. The men who handed it out may have been physicians, 
but I doubt it. I was given thirty grains at ten o'clock at night, and next 
morning at eight o'clock was given another big dose. I was lying on my 
blanket and hay, too sick to know what I was doing, and some time in the 
afternoon picked up my blanket and hay and wandered off. Of course my 
friends thought me dead, and I don't know just how long I lay there, but 
presume it was about a day, when the effect of the quinine, which was a dose 
sufficient to kill a horse, wore off some, and I realized that I was left behind. 
I got back to the camp and was ill in the hospital. 

" If we had dysentery, we received quinine; if we had typhoid fever, we 
got quinine ; and the only medicine for sore throat was quinine. We all 
rejoiced when we were to be removed North ; and after we were on the trans- 



HOSPITAL WORK AT SANTIAGO. 



465 



port, en route to Montauk Point, we were all glad. I was recovering, and 
they placed me on an open deck, where I took more fever, and when I 
reached Montauk I was burning up. We got into a worse nest, for there 
was nothing prepared for us; and instead of the camp saving our regiment 
from further disease we were still exposed, and without necessary food. They 
are going to save the lives of the men over there, for New York people are 
taking charge of the camp. A man who gets into the Red Cross hospital is 
saved. I was a happy man when I was taken in. The surgeon said that I was 
not fit to travel, but if I rest here for a day I will be able to safely reach my 
home. My head is buzzing just as it did since the day I was loaded with 
those quinine pills, and I fear I will not be able to hear in my one ear for 
some time. 

" We fought to save the lives of the Cubans and rescue the reconcentrados 
from starvation, while at the same time Cuban soldiers tried to starve us. If 
a United States soldier threw off his knapsack a Cuban soldier came up and 
rifled it of all he had. They were armed, and it was at first hoped that they 
would be able to assist us in routing the Spaniards until we became familiar 
with the Spanish method of fighting in ambush. I was going to say they 
caused us as much trouble as the Dons, and they did all but shoot us." 
30 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



Story of Clara Barton and the Noble Work of the Red Cross. 

HE women at home did not forget the gallant troops in the field, 
whether battling with foes in a tropical climate, drooping with dis- 
ease in camp hospitals or suffering indescribable hardships in 
crowded transport ships. Numerous relief societies were or- 
ganized, and everywhere the gentle touch and voice of women were there to 
soothe the dying and quiet the feverish. 

The most prominent of these beneficent organizations was the Red Cross 
Society, the head and inspiring spirit of which was the gentle, heroic, famous 
Clara Barton, America's Florence Nightingale. She was with the blockading 
fleet and with the army of invasion under General Shafter. All of the Red 
Cross work was under her personal supervision, and the Red Cross vessel 
entered Santiago before the conquering American fleet, through the thought- 
ful courtesy of Admiral Sampson. 

Miss Barton's friends claim that while she was at Santiago she did more 
to bring about the surrender of General Toral than any other agency. While 
at Siboney on the day of the first fight before Santiago, these friends assert, 
Miss Barton was requested to go to the front. This she did, making the 
lc* ~, rough journey in a six-mule team on top of an army wagon loaded 
with pick axes and spades. She found the American wounded lying prone 
on the ground, under the fierce glare of the sun, or in the narrow-chilling 
tropical dampness of rain, without food, water or attention. 

After ministering to these as best she could, furnishing them with malted 
milk, cereals and other necessaries, Miss Barton turned her attention to 
twenty-seven wounded Spanish officers and men. She knew that in the ranks 
of the Spaniards the belief was general that all Spanish soldiers, well or 
wounded, who fell into the hands of the Americans, were massacred, and for 
that reason Toral's men had decided never to surrender, but to fight to the 
death. In order to correct that impression she called upon General Shafter^ 
and suggested, urging her suggestion with much earnestness, that the wounds 
of twenty-seven Spanish soldiers be dressed, amputations made when neces- 
sary, and the wounded enemies taken carefully back into their own lines under 
a flag of truce. 

This was done by General Shafter's direct order, and the result was 
magical. The wounded men told their comrades about the kind treatment 
466 



THE RED CROSS. 



467 



they nact received at the hands of the Americans, and the news spread through 
the army like wild-fire. Instead of being massacred, as they expected, the 
wounded Spaniards had been treated most humanely, fed, and their wounds 
dressed before they were returned to their friends. 

Conditions Changed. 

Conditions were changed from that time, and Spanish prisoners stated 
that the men of Toral's army were ready and willing to surrender at any mo- 
ment, as they no longer feared captivity in the camp of the Americans. 

Her method of work and the dangers encountered are suggested by the 
following telegram which she sent to the New York headquarters, on July 
6th, after the American troops had begun to storm Santiago : 

" Came from Shafter's front in the night for food and clothing for refugees, 
who are leaving Santiago by the thousands, starving and naked. 

" The State of Texas has gone to Port Antonio for ice to save her meat. 
Will return to-morrow. 

" Are sending supplies to refugees — all we can from both camps — by 
army wagons and pack mules. It is nearly impossible to land supplies; 
high tides, no docks, surf terrific. Our ship yawls cannot stand in the surf. 
Have mended one old broken flat boat, which our men dragged ashore in 
the surf waist deep. 

" No transportation. Horse and packers' tents would be helpful. 

" Wounded men taken from our operating tables are laid on the ground, 
often without blankets or shelter from the rain or sun. As others die their 
clothing is taken to put on the naked to get them down to Siboney, ten miles 
over roads that upset army wagons. 

" Mrs. Gardiner, myself and whole working force of the Red Cross at the 
front are in direct range of the sharpshooters. Lesser and the nurses are 
doing splendid work at Siboney. The men are brave as lions. 

" Shafter is acting wisely and humanely, doing all he can. We return 
to the front at once." 

Of the hardships the Red Cross workers encountered, Miss Barton has 
not yet spoken, with a view to fixing blame. However, the following letter 
from C. H. H. Cottrell, who was with her, gives some of her experiences : 

" All the army officers received our advances politely, but rather stiffly, 
at first declining any aid, but eventually confessing that they had nothing but 
army rations of hog meat, hard tack and coffee with which to feed their sick, 
and that they would accept * a few things to help them out ' until their own 
supplies arrived. But they declined all offers of nurses and doctors. 

" Refused by our own people, we next called on General Garcia, of the 



468 



THE RED CROSS. 



Cuban army, and were most cordially received, his medical men being only 
too glad to accept all we had to offer. So the next morning our four Red 
Cross nurses and Sister Bettina went over to the Cuban hospital, which was 
as repulsive and forbidding a place as can be imagined, and began to work. 
The patients were astounded and transformed with such a baptism of soap 
and water as never was heard of before in this benighted region, and by after- 
noon that little hospital was one clean spot in town. Scoffers became believers 
and army officers became gentlemen who doffed their hats to our demure 
drab little women, who believe that cleanliness is the first essential in health- 
fulness. 

" That little bit of practical work spread through rank and file like wild- 
fire, and before nightfall our poor boys in blue who had been lying on the 
floors, many of them without even a blanket, were asking each other and 
their slovenly male nurses how it was that the Red Cross came down here 
and gave them the go-by and put the Cubans on beds with soft pillows and 
blankets and clean sheets. Of course, such vigorous kicking and the terrible 
contrast between the Cuban and our army hospitals could have but one result, 
and the army surgeons are now willing and eager to have us on any terms 
we may suggest, and are constantly asking for more than we are prepared to 
give. We have opened a Red Cross hospital here and have twenty-four beds, 
which is the capacity of the hospital. 

Efforts to Relieve Suffering. 

" The United States authorities were entirely unprepared in medicines, 
food or services to handle wounded men, and the Red Cross has proved a 
perfect godsend. We are not in full accord with the military surgeons — at 
this end. 

" Kennan and Egan went to the front last Saturday and found a deplor- 
able condition of suffering there. The next day Miss Barton, Dr. Hubbell, 
Dr. and Mrs. Gardiner and McDowell joined them. Our people began work 
the moment they arrived on the field, and they will remain there as long as 
there is need for them. Lesser and the nurses have been doing fine work 
here in the army hospitals, though they have had to work day and night 
under most adverse conditions. On Sunday night, when they were coming 
to the ship for rest, they were asked to board the Harvard and attend a lot of 
Spaniards who were on the fleet when it was annihilated, and they spent the 
entire night there, returning to the ship in an exhausted condition. After 
four hours' rest they returned to the shore again. 

" We have to run over to Port Antonio, Jamaica, for ice. Everything 
down here has come our way, and the only regret we have is that our force 



THE RED CROSS. 



469 



is not larger, and that we have not certain things in our cargo that would be 
useful just now. All our potatoes have rotted, and we may lose some meal 
and codfish, but the remainder of the cargo is all right, so far as we know." 

Miss Janet Jennings, one of the nurses with Miss Barton, came home on 
the transport Seneca. In speaking of her experiences, she said : 

" It must be understood now that members of the Red Cross are not 
permitted to criticise either our army or navy departments. What I shall tell 
you is simply a plain narrative of the condition of things we found at Siboney 
when we reached there. If any blame attaches to any department it is to the 
Surgeon General's. Nothing but praise can be said of the Navy Department 
and its officers. 

" The State of Texas, with Miss Barton and our party on board, left Key 
West. The vessel was under naval authority, and when we reached Santiago 
Admiral Sampson's fleet was there, and we reported to him. Admiral Samp- 
son told Miss Barton it would be impossible to land our 1,400 tons of supplies 
in that neighborhood at that time, and told us to go to Guantanamo Bay, 
forty miles east of Santiago. The Admiral believed we could communicate 
there with the insurgents. Our supplies were intended for the refugees, and, 
strange as it may appear, the supplies really went to the assistance of our own 
men — that is, the hospital supplies. 

"While we were lying in the bay a newspaper correspondent came on 
board the State of Texas and told Miss Barton that the hospital at Siboney 
was in great need of assistance, that men were sick and needed attendance. 
Miss Barton at once ordered the State of Texas back to Siboney. When we 
arrived there on Sunday evening Miss Barton sent members of her staff to 
the Siboney hospital to see what was needed. When Miss Barton's repre- 
sentatives returned they reported that everything necessary for a well-equipped 
hospital was needed. There was nothing there for men suffering with fever, 
dysentery and other complaints. Miss Barton ordered supplies to be unloaded, 
bedding, clothing and food. 

Men Lying on the Floors. 

" The next morning (Monday) the supplies were sent ashore. Cots were 
left where they could be taken ashore at a moment's notice. Two of the Red 
Cross surgeons, with five nurses, or, as we call them, Sisters, went to the 
hospital building. It was a small affair. When they entered they found that 
the four or five rooms it contained were in the filthiest condition imaginable. 
Seventy of our soldiers were lying on the dirty floors. The men had on their 
uniforms There wasn't a bed or cot in the place. Some of the men had 
been lying there four days. Some of the men had fevers and others dysen- 



470 



THE RED CROSS. 



tery or measles. Two men had been wounded on the day the Rough Riders 
had their fight. 

" The Red Cross representatives at once offered the society's services, 
but the assistant surgeon in charge, Dr. Winters, declined the offer. He told 
our people that he did not need their services, but perhaps he should in a few 
days. He would let them know. Seventy men were lying there sick with 
only army rations for food. The Red Cross surgeons and nurses urged Dr. 
Winters to accept them, but to no purpose. They wanted to stay and make 
the place comfortable. Dr. Winters would not yield. 

" Our party then went over to the Cuban soldiers' hospital. Here they 
found some patients in bed. The Cubans accepted the offer of assistance at 
once and very willingly. There were six rooms in this hospital, and these 
the Sisters at once cleaned. They did the work of servants as well as nurses. 
With pails of water and cloths they got down on their knees and washed the 
floors. The place was fixed up and proper food was prepared. That after- 
noon I went ashore and went to the Cuban hospital. I saw what the Sisters 
had done. 

" I went to the American Hospital and saw the four or five filthy rooms. 
I found a hospital steward there. He told me he had two men to assist him, 
but nothing with which to make the patients comfortable. Then I saw Dr. 
Harvard, who is the surgeon there. 

Misunderstanding Cleared Up. 

" Addressing him, I said: 'You declined the service of the Red Cross 
to-day. Can you afford to let this story go back to the United States, that 
you have nothing here in the way of supplies or nurses, and still refuse the 
help at hand?' He replied that he had not declined our services, as he needed 
help very much. Then I said there must have been some misunderstanding, 
and I asked him if the Red Cross could come in the Hospital and do what it 
had been doing for the Cubans. He replied, ' Yes.' 

" With that I rushed down to see Inspector General Breckenridge in his 
tent, near the shore, and told him the story. He was very nice to me, and I 
asked him if there was any hospital supplies on the ships. He did not know. 
He introduced me to a colonel on General Shafter's staff. He could not 
answer my question, either. Then I reported to Miss Barton, on the State of 
Texas, and the next day about one hundred cots were carried ashore in small 
boats. The Red Cross nurses had been in the Cuban hospital two days when 
Dr. Lagarde, the surgeon in charge, came back from the front. He saw the 
awful situation at once and sent a formal letter to Miss Barton asking for the 
services of the Red Cross. The order came for the troops to move on San- 



THE RED CROSS. 



471 



tiago, and Dr. Lagarde turned over the hospital to the society. We got a 
better building, and the Sisters, after cleaning it thoroughly, put the patients 
there, and the Red Cross flag went up. 

" You remember the attack was made on July 1st. In the afternoon of 
that day the wounded began to ' come down,' as we call it, or back from the 
front, a distance of eight or ten miles. Some were in wagons, others were on 
foot. The only accommodation the army had in the field was straw, thrown 
on the ground with blankets thrown over it. Dr. Lagarde asked Dr. Lesser, 
of the Red Cross, to come in and take the place of an army surgeon. Mrs. 
Lesser, with three Sisters, went in and assisted the surgeons. In twenty-four 
hours they operated on and dressed the wounds of 475 men. The nurses 
worked without stopping for meals. Coffee was carried to them. 

" Dr. Lagarde came to me on Saturday, the day after the attack, and had 
an order from General Shafter authorizing Miss Barton to seize any army 
wagons for the purpose of sending supplies from the State of Texas to the 
front. He said he had no food for his troops and very few bandages. I asked 
Dr. Lagarde : ' Where are the hospital supplies for the army? Where is your 
service ? Have you brought twenty thousand men to Cuba and hurried them 
to the front to fight without any preparation for the wounded ? ' 

Could Only Say, "I Don't Know." 

" Dr. Lagarde was distressed. He was desperate because the situation 
was so terrible. He had very little to say, but he did reply, ' I don't know; 
I don't know.' The tears rose to his eyes as he said, ' God knows what we 
could have done down here without the help of the Red Cross, and our only 
hope is in you and the help you can give us, and if you can get supplies and 
send them to the front you can do more good that I can tell.' 

" Dr. Hubbell, of the Red Cross, came in, and he reported the situation 
to Miss Barton on the State of Texas. We got the supplies out of the ship's 
hold that night, and at daylight landed them. We seized two army wagons, 
and with another, the third load, Miss Barton rode to the front. We sent 
another load on Monday, July 4th. All the time I was there — and I left Cuba 
on July 14th — the Red Cross never heard of hospital supplies being on any 
of the thirty odd transports. 

" There was no ice. It was much needed. I went on the State of Texas 
to Jamaica for it. At Port Antonio we got two tons, and fifteen tons at Kings- 
ton. That was the ice the hospitals were using when I left Cuba. There 
should have been four division hospitals at the front. There was only one, 
and that made it necessary to carry the wounded soldiers a greater distance 
than some of them should have been carried. The Red Cross people lived on 



472 



THE RED CROSS. 



the State of Texas, as they could not get the proper accommodations in 
Siboney. 

" I said the Red Cross never criticises. What I have said is not in criti- 
cism^ but simply a story of our experiences. Of the navy too much cannot 
be said, and whatever fault is to be found with the army regulations so far as 
the hospital arrangements are concerned is due perhaps to the Surgeon Gen- 
eral's department." 

Condition of the Seneca. 

When asked the condition of the transport Seneca, on which she came 
from Cuba, Miss Jennings manifested some reticence. 

u The vessel was never intended for the use of sick and wounded," Miss 
Jennings said: " You remember how they built up cots or bunks for the men 
to sleep in the hold when the troops were transported ? Well, the stench 
there was frightful. 

"We had no bandages on the Seneca and no surgical instruments. Some 
of the physicians came to me and told me that they knew some of the men 
needed surgical treatment, but they were powerless to do anything because 
of the absence of instruments. It's a miracle that there were no deaths on 
board the vessel on our trip up. 

" Captain Decker did everything in his power to give me assistance and 
make the wounded men comfortable. There was not enough water; there 
was no ice on the transport, and no medicine except quinine. We came away 
in a great hurry, and I only had time to rush to the State of Texas and gather 
up a few bandages and medicines that I knew would be needed. 

" In addition to the foulness of the air, the decks were in a dirty, filthy 
state. It was not a proper transport for sick or wounded men by any means. 
It does not seem to me that there has been any exaggeration in the reports 
about the Seneca's condition. 

" The Surgeon General of the Army does not approve of women nurses 
in the field,' 7 some orre said, suggestively. 

Miss Jennings' reply was a quiet smile, but in a moment she said : " The 
army in Cuba, both men and officers, differ with the Surgeon General. All 
the officers who came up on the Seneca are strong in their opinion that women 
are needed in the field, and that that is the place for them, as well as at the 
rear and in the home hospitals. Thev saw the devoted work done by Mrs. 
Lesser and those four trained nurses who were there, and they are convinced. 
After the first day's fighting, July ist, at Santiago, when the wounded came 
down in hundreds, Mrs. Lesser and three of the nurses went right into the 
operating tent in Siboney and worked with the surgeons there for forty-eight 
hours with hardly any rest. 



THE RED CROSS. 



473 



"After the fighting at Santiago some of the ' Rough Riders' came over 
to take luncheon with us on the State of Texas. There were two Yale grad- 
uates among them, plucky young men, who made light of all their hardships, 
but they casually remarked that they didn't know when they had had a hand- 
kerchief. They thought the possession of a blue cotton handkerchief would 
make them very comfortable. You notice, they did not want red ; it must be 
blue. I told them if I ever got back to God's country I'd try to send them a 
big box of handkerchiefs." 

Toward the close of August, just before her return to the United States, 
even Miss Barton became discouraged, as was indicated by the following letter 
which she sent to the New York headquarters : 

Ice Gratefully Received. 

" The Morse arrived with her cargo nearly intact. The cargo was offered 
to General Shafter for distribution if he desired it. There was not an icehouse 
in Santiago ; he had nowhere to put it, and he said he could do nothing with 
it. The transports were just coming in for the conveyance North of the sick 
and wounded. The captains, learning that there was ice, immediately called 
for it on behalf of their soldiers. Both General Shafter and myself have made 
every effort to properly dispose of it, and perhaps nothing that has ever been 
sent here has been productive of so much good, so much comfort, so many 
thanks and so many blessings. 

" Our goods sent by the Port Victor are still on board, there having been 
no means of discharging them. They are with other government supplies, 
and if the vessel should be ordered back on the discharge of the meat, the 
supplies, both the government's and ours, will probably go back to New York. 
The ambulances are in the bottom and cannot be reached. 

" Learning yesterday that the San Juan would leave with the first troops 
for Baracoa, I secured the opportunity for our supplies to go with it, and fifty 
to a hundred tons are loaded to-day, and sail to-morrow. This is the first time 
that anything has yet gone to Baracoa — either troops, rations or supplies. 
Dr. Hubbell will go with them. 

" I can get a hundred tons of supplies to Baracoa, with an agent to look 
to them, with no cost to any one for transportion. I can get all the Morse 
can carry to Gibara as soon as she can sail there. I have to-day taken out a 
load of thirty tons of supplies for Formosa. Within two or three days shall 
commence to ship up the railroad for San Luis supplies for ten thousand 
people in the upper part of the province. We arranged for and supply a 
clinic under Dr. Solloso, which treats and feeds and clothes three thousand 
patients a day. 



474 



THE RED CROSS. 



" Mrs. Louise Morgan has sent me $500, which being unable to use for 
the nurses, I asked Mr. Cottrell to return to her, with a letter, as kindly written 
as I was able to write, explaining to her that I did not return it as between 
herself and me, but to avoid complications with other committees. I trust 
that she will not take the act in a spirit other than that in which it was made. 
I cannot accept complications with other committees. I have no need of 
moneys beyond those you have already sent me. If I had, the generosity and 
thoughtfulness of other nations have supplied me, and they have appeared to 
have done it with no distrust of my management or integrity. 

" I shall do faithfully all that comes to me until I can be properly 
released from these duties, and I will work, as I always have done, for the 
credit of my country, its history, its people, its government ; but, so far as 
any personal interest is concerned in any of it, there is nothing left." 

Red Gross Work for Cubans. 

Toward the close of August, G. W. Hyatt, the Red Cross agent at Key 
West, who was a prominent Havana merchant, wrote to Stephen E. Barton, 
in charge of the Red Cross headquarters in New York, in reference to the 
work of sending small relief expeditions to the Cuban coast as follows : 

" I am happy to inform you that the last two expeditions of food I sent 
to Cuba, one to Cardenas and one to the coast above Sagua la Grande, arrived 
safely, and were delivered to the hungry women and children, to their great 
delight. A part of that sent to the shores near Cardenas was carried on 
men's backs nearly to Matanzas and distributed to the hungry. My men 
doing this work have returned here, and are begging for more food. 
Matanzas, Havana, and Pinar del Rio provinces are suffering horribly. Not- 
withstanding you have so much work to do in the different volunteer camps 
in the United States, I most sincerely hope that the Cuban Relief Committee 
will not forget that there are many thousands in Cuba who are starving. If it 
meets your approval, 1 propose to send a small amount of provisions (say two 
or three tons) to Havana by the Mascotte, or other way of conveyance, to be 
immediately distributed. 

u Work in Cuba can be carried on with perfect safety. I am only too 
anxious to try it, and with the least possible delay. I am surrounded con- 
stantly by persons begging for relief for their families in Cuba. Communica- 
tion is now an every-day occurrence. Can anything be done to aid some of 
the most worthy Cuban families to return to Havana ? Some have property 
there, and can go and live in their own houses; others have friends and 
relatives, but none has a cent with which to get to Havana, and they are now 
living on the charity distributed by the Red Cross." 



THE RED CROSS. 



475 



The efficiency of the Red Cross nurses in the brief Porto Rican campaign 
was recognized in this letter to Miss Isabella E. Rutty, in charge of the nurses 
who were there : 

" Headquarters of the Army, Office of the Chief Surgeon, Ponce, Porto 
Rico, July 31, 1898. — Dear Miss Rutty: I desire to express, on behalf of the 
Medical Department in the field, my thanks to you, and through you to the 
ladies under your charge, for the services you have rendered, and are still 
rendering, to the sick soldiers on board the Lampasas. No words of mine 
can express my appreciation of the sacrificing efforts you have each and all 
made, and your unflinching devotion. It is a source of deep regret to me 
that you should have been surrounded by so many discomforts and have so 
little material to work with, but you are all fully cognizant of the circum- 
stances under which we have been placed since our sick were put on board 
the Lampasas, and it is unnecessary for rne to say more regarding it. 

" Wishing you and the noble association of women you represent every 
success, and hoping, if my duties are continued, that I may see you again at 
this post of duty, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Charles R. Greenleaf, 
" Colonel, Chief Surgeon of the Armyl' 

Statement of Surgeon General Sternberg. 

Surgeon General Sternberg, on August 29th, gave out a statement deny- 
ing that he had been hostile to the work of the Red Cross Society. The 
statement, in part, was as follows : 

" Owing to the pressure of my official duties I have not heretofore felt 
justified in taking the time to make an explanation with reference to my atti- 
tude towards the American National Red Cross. It has been repeatedly 
charged in the newspapers that I am hostile to this organization, and have 
refused to accept its assistance in the care of our sick and wounded soldiers; 
and that, as a result of this refusal, there has been unnecessary suffering. 

" These charges are without foundation, except in so far as I have 
objected to the sending of female nurses with troops in the field engaged in 
active operations. We have a Red Cross hospital corps in the army of en- 
listed men, whose duty it is to render first aid to the wounded upon the field 
of battle, and to care for the sick in our division field hospitals ; and I have 
been of the opinion that female nurses would be an incumbrance to troops 
during active operations ; but as soon as serious sickness developed in our 
camps, and it became necessary to treat typhoid fever cases in our field hos- 
pitals, I gladly accepted the services of trained female nurses for the division 
field hospitals, and in our general hospitals we employed them from the first. 



476 



THE RED CROSS. 



" The general testimony from the surgeons in charge of these hospitals 
has been that their services have been of great value. Very many of these 
trained nurses have been obtained through the kind assistance of the Red 
Cross Society for maintenance of trained nurses, Auxiliary No. 3, and I desire 
to express my high appreciation of the valuable services rendered to the 
medical department of the army by this organization. 

Relief Organizations. 

" My attitude towards relief organizations is shown by an endorsement 
dated May 5th, upon a letter addressed by Rev. Henry C. McCook, of Phila- 
delphia, to the President, and referred to me for remark : 

'"May 5, 1898. — Respectfully returned to the Adjutant General of the 
army. The plan proposed for the reorganization of a relief association appears 
to have been well considered, and the object in view will commend itself to 
every patriotic citizen. But it is a question whether the President should give 
special privileges to any particular organization. 

" ' Other prominent individuals in different parts of the country may be 
organizing for the same purpose. One such proposition has come to me 
from Chicago. While I approve in a general way of organization for the relief 
work proposed, it appears to me that it will be best not to give, in advance, 
exclusive privileges to any one particular organization. In case of need 
assistance should be accepted from any organization prepared to give it.' 

" This has been my guiding principle throughout, — that relief, when 
needed, should be promptly accepted, without reference to the source from 
which it comes. The relief afforded by the National Red Cross at Siboney 
was promptly accepted by the surgeons on the spot, but it is evident that it 
was entirely inadequate to meet the emergency. 

"A committee of the American National Red Cross Association called 
upon me in my office in Washington some time in advance of the landing of 
our troops in Santiago7 making an offer of assistance. I received them most 
courteously, and advised them to use their resources in fitting up a hospital 
ship, telling them that a hospital ship was now being fitted up for the use of 
the medical department, but that it was not at all improbable that an emer- 
gency would arise which would overtax our resources, and that in such an 
event a hospital ship, properly equipped, having on board a corps of doctors 
and nurses, would be a most valuable auxiliary. 

" Furthermore, the American National Red Cross Association has had 
full authority to send agents and supplies to all our camps since June 9, 1898, 
and if there has been suffering for want of needed supplies, they must share 
the responsibility with the medical department of the army for such suffering. 



THE RED CROSS. 



477 



"The following' letter was sent by me to every Chief Surgeon of a depart- 
ment or independent army in the field on June 9th, 1898: 

" 1 Tiie Secretary of War has approved of the following proposition made 
by the American National Red Cross Association, and the Chief Surgeons of 
army corps and divisions will co-operate with the authorized agents of this 
association for the purposes indicated : 

" ' li We can put any desired amount of hospital supplies — ice malted 
milk, condensed milk, etc. — into any of the volunteer camps in a few hours. 
Will you be kind enough to bring this letter to the attention of Secretary 
Alger, and ask him if there is any objection to our appointing a Red Cross 
representative to report to the commanding officer and Chief Surgeons in 
every camp, confer with them as to their immediate needs, and, if anything 01 
any kind is wanting, open there a Red Cross station and send in the supplies? 
We can do this, not in a few weeks, or a few days, but in a few hours, and 
can furnish any quantity of any desired luxury or delicacy for hospital use. 
We hereby tender our aid and put our organization at the War Department's 
service for co-operation in the field." ' 

Cordial Relations with the Red Gross. 

" To show my cordial relations with the National Red Cross Relief Com- 
mittee I venture to quote from a letter of August nth, received by me from 
Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, Chairman of the Supply Committee, Mr. Dodge 
says : 

" ' I want again to assure you personally and on behalf of our committee, 
of our earnest desire to assist you in every possible way and to thank you for 
calling upon us so frankly.' 

" In a recent letter from Mrs. Winthrop Cowdin, Vice President of the 
Red Cross Society for the Maintenance of Trained Nurses, she says : 

" ' We greatly appreciate your courtesy to us and feel most grateful to 
have been permitted to serve you in any way.' 

" George M. Sternberg, Surgeon General U. S. Army! y 

In addition to the foregoing, General Sternberg wrote a letter testifying 
to the efficiency of the Red Cross Society, and eulogizing highly the work of 
its nurses. 

Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley, president of the International Brotherhood 
League, sent to President McKinley the following report on the League's 
hospital work at Camp WikofT: 

" To William McKinley, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and 
Navy of the United States : 

" Dear Sir : — I herewith submit the report of relief afforded at the In- 



478 



THE RED CROSS. 



ternational Brotherhood League Hospital, Camp Wikoff, Montauk, Long 
Island, to the soldiers of the various regiments there encamped. 

" This hospital, consisting of seven tents, was erected on August 23d, 
and removed to its new location in New York on September 13th, having 
thus been in operation for three weeks. The whole work of erection and 
removal, the whole nursing, cooking and medical work, were done entirely 
gratuitously by members of the League, some of whom volunteered their 
services as physicians, others as nurses (some lay, some professional), and 
others as workers in various other departments of activity. 

" We acknowledge with pleasure the almost uniform courtesy and aid 
extended us by the officials of the army. In particular our most grateful 
thanks are due to General Wheeler and his staff, whose kindness was un- 
tiring and without whose aid we could with the greatest difficulty have sur- 
mounted the many obstacles that were in part incidental to the situation and 
in part placed in our way. We have further to extend our special thanks to 
Adjutant-General McClelland, Major Duval and to Quartermaster-Major 
Knight, and the officers of the Commissary Department. But on almost all 
hands our work was recognized as of great value to the welfare of the army, 
and as filling a gap which would otherwise have been painfully unoccupied. 

Aided Exhausted Soldiers. 

" This work consisted of several important branches of activity. 

"I. The giving of temporary rest and nourishing food to exhausted soldiers. 
Many, just convalescent, or thought to be so, leaving camp on furloughs and 
making for the depot (in some cases a walk of two and a half miles) were, by 
the time they had reached our hospital, utterly exhausted under the hot sun 
over the hard, sandy roads, and, but for the rest and help which we were able 
to give them, would certainly have either collapsed by the time they reached 
the depot, or would have become too ill by the time they reached New York 
to proceed to their home destination. 

" Our workers were sent on occasions to the depot at midnight, pro- 
vided with food and restoratives for the succor of soldiers arriving by late 
trains and left behind, and required to remain all night at the depot. Many 
of these were brought back and sheltered. 

" Others again, landing from Cuba at the wharf opposite the depot, ex- 
hausted by the grave privations and hardships and the ten days' sea journey 
following upon the arduous and deadly stay in the Cuban climate and the 
labors incident to the management of the war, were required to march from 
the landing place up the hills to the camp. Many of these dropped from ex- 
haustion near our hospital, and to these we extended the same aid and shelter 



THE RED CROSS. 



479 



as in the former case. For all such needs, wine, milk, fluid meats, etc., were 
invariably kept ready for instant use. 

" 2. The second division of our work lay in giving outdoor medical as- 
sistance to all needing it, combined or not, as necessary, with rest and food. 

" Thousands of the soldiers here encamped, tainted with the malarial and 
other fevers incidental to the climate they had left, and to the privations of 
their stay there and the journey home, though ill enough to enter the already 
overcrowded general hospital, yet dreading to go there, came to our camp 
for medical advice and treatment. 

" 3. We soon found that many of those who were taken in were very ill 
and in a few hours manifested definite disease, dysentery, some form of fever, 
etc. These, of course, we retained as indoor patients. They received the 
most careful feeding, nursing and medical assistance ; they were kept cheerful, 
prevented as far as was possible from dwelling upon their memories of the 
horrors and privations from which they had suffered, and finally, save in one 
case (the solitary death that occurred in our hospital), brought through to 
such health and strength as might enable them to go on to their homes, to 
return to their regiments (their eagerness to do this in the face of real illness 
was often magnificent), or to be shipped to other hospitals of the International 
Brotherhood League that their places might be filled by more urgent cases. 
It was a curious coincidence that of these indoor patients a considerable num- 
ber belonged to the Eighth Ohio, the regiment known as ' McKinley's Own.' 

" 4. A certain number of surgical cases were also attended to. These 
comprised injuries casually received on the road; some due to wagon col- 
lisions, ivy poisoning in Cuba, and other injuries to the feet. 

Helped Nine Thousand Soldiers. 

" As to numbers : We had from first to last sixty very serious cases in 
our hospital beds. From these and from the general hospital we sent about 
seventy-five to two other hospitals of the International Brotherhood League. 
We extended out-door relief, help, food, rest and medicines to about 9,000 
soldiers. 

" In transporting soldiers, not only from our own tents, but from the 
general hospital to other of the League hospitals, and in particular to that at 
Bridgeport, we endeavored to relieve the congestion at the general hospital. 

" It should be added that for soldiers too weak to walk we maintained a 
a carriage constantly in operation. This was kept at work partly in trans- 
porting sick and exhausted soldiers from the depot to the camp and vice versa, 
also picking up those found exhausted on the road and partly in carrying the 
medicines, restoratives, etc., which we needed in our work." 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



Trophies and Mementoes of the War. 

HE National Museum at Washington sent a number of special 
agents to Porto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines for the purpose of 
making collections illustrative of the war, and of the present phase 
of American history. It is a lamentable fact that the Government 
possesses scarcely any memorials of its past military struggles, and, save for 
the Grant relics, contributed by W. H. Vanderbilt, the rebellion is practically 
unrepresented in the great national repository of curiosities. Such souvenirs 
are too apt to find their way into the hands of private persons, just as the bell 
of the battleship Maine is said to have passed into the possession of a foreign 
consul at Havana. 

Uncle Sam is very desirous of securing before it is too late a collection 
of memorials of the Hispano-American conflict that will possess great his- 
torical interest in days to come. It is realized that just at present this 
country is passing through an epoch of its development which will be regarded 
hereafter as most notable, and the period ought to be illustrated as completely 
as possible by a permanent exhibit in the National Museum. 

This exhibit will be ethnologic to some extent, representing the native 
peoples of the Philippines, Cuba, and Porto Rico. The Philippines, of course, 
are specially rich in such material, being one of the least known regions in 
the world. Many of the tribes in the archipelago have never seen a white 
man, and are ignorant of the rest of the world. 

In Porto Rico, objects will be gathered such as will most suitably present 
the picture of the primitive arts of the people. The disturbance of war has 
set afloat great numbers of heirlooms which have been handed down in 
families for hundreds of years, and these things are often of high value as 
curiosities. Shut off on an island as they have always been, the Porto Ricans 
are exceedingly primitive in some ways, and have advanced along lines pecu- 
liar to themselves. They have made their own machinery, their own arms, 
and their own household utensils. Examples of these objects must be 
obtained before they disappear with the coming influx of American civiliza- 
tion and Yankee improvements. 

The same remarks may be made with regard to Cuba. As for the Phil- 
ippines, one thing that will be done is to get to work with divers in Manila 
Bay. In this way, a thousand and one things of future historical interest will 
480 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



481 



be recovered from the Spanish wrecks, which lie in shallow water, where it is 
easy enough to get at their contents. The Navy Department would have the 
first right in these premises, but it will certainly do what it can to assist the 
purpose of the National Museum. Special requests will be addressed to 
Dewey, Schley, and Sampson for personal souvenirs of themselves ; likewise 
to Hobson. Things are wanted that will illustrate victories of the " Yanko- 
Spanko" war and the men who won them. Objects of this kind will possess 
an increasing interest as time goes on. 

The various appliances used by the Signal Service of the army will be 
included in this exhibit; also an effort will be made to secure some of the 
apparatus used by Hobson in his attempt to cork the Santiago bottle. There 
will be objects of interest from Cervera's fleet, and the ill-fated Maine will 
not be forgotten — everything that will be specially prized, as, for example, 
swords, pistols, machine-guns, munitions of all sorts, shells, and cannon, 
injured or burst. 

The typical weapons of the present date will be shown. Then, in the 
ethnologic display, there will be included the primitive arms and equipments 
of Filipinos and Cubans. There will be a model of the harbor of Santiago, 
with Sampson's fleet lying in wait outside and the doomed ships of the Span- 
ish squadron hiding inside of formidable batteries. 

Types of War Ships. 

It is earnestly desired to obtain for this exhibit models accurately repre- 
senting the principal types of war ships employed by the United States 
during the war — say a battle ship, a cruiser and a torpedo boat. Such models 
are built by the Construction Bureau of the navy at the shiphouse in the 
Washington Navy Yard from the original plans of the vessels, costing from 
$2,000 to $8,000 apiece. They are on a scale of one-fourth of an inch to 
the foot, so that the model of the Columbia is exactly five feet long. 

The Navy Department builds such a model to represent each class of its 
war ships. For example, there will be one for the three battle-shios just 
ordered. Every detail of the great ships is reproduced in the miniature, 
down to the smallest parts of the guns. An 8-inch gun on this scale is just 
four inches long. The little boats and steam launches carried on the decks 
are as carefully made as their originals. Even the battle hatches — gratings 
of heavy steel bars — are reproduced. 

The exhibit will embrace models of a war transport and a hospital ship. 
There will be samples of the various kinds of gunpowders used in the war — 
especially the smokeless powders, which are made in a variety of curious 
shapes. Some smokeless powders look like sheets of brown paper, others 
31 



482 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



like strings of India rubber, and so on. Half a pound of each sort of 
powder will be shown, and the most interesting of the samples will be a 
charge for a I -pounder gun recovered from the Maine. Submarine mines 
raked up in Guantanamo Bay in a barnacle-covered condition will be of 
interest ; likewise a Spanish rapid-fire projectile captured at Cavite. A few 
relics have been forwarded to the museum by Rounsville Wildman, our 
Consul at Hong Kong, one of them being a piece of a 6-inch shell that 
smashed the Spanish commandant's house at Cavite on May I and destroyed 
over $100,000 worth of property, killing five men. 

Hall of American History. 

The Spanish-American collection is to be only a part of a great per- 
manent historical exhibit that is being prepared by the National Museum. 
It is intended to establish a Hall of American History, which will illustrate 
the story of the development of this country from the earliest times. The 
display will have a sort of synoptic form, so that the visitor will be able to 
follow it as a series of chapters is read. Upon the left, on entering will be a 
statue of Lief Ericsson, the hardy Norseman, who is believed to have landed 
on the shores of America before the time of Columbus. Next will come a 
model of one of the caravels of Columbus. This part of the exhibit, illus- 
trating the period of discovery, will appropriately contain a fac simile of the 
famous geographical globe made by Martin Behalm, at Nuremberg, in 1487. 

The date, be it observed, was five years earlier than the discovery by 
Columbus, and so there is no America at all on the globe. This seems very 
curious, indeed, inasmuch as Europe, Asia and Africa are delineated with 
nearly as much exactness as on a modern map of the world. There are all 
the familiar names of cities, such as Cadiz and London, and even Spain is 
marked off into provinces as to-day, but there is no America. All that stands 
for it is a big island, and in the midst of the wide ocean occupying the 
Western hemisphere. - 

Edgar A. Tabbert, artificer of Company E, Seventy-first Regiment, New 
York, is the proud possessor of some unique Spanish relics — souvenirs of the 
gallant charge up San Juan hill, on July 1st, that made the fall of Santiago 
certain. 

Relics from the Cuban campaign are plentiful, but they are usually in the 
line of arms, munitions or clothing, while some of those possessed by Mr, 
Tabbert are unique, as they are the keys to the block-house which was the 
immediate objective point of the Seventy-first Regiment as it hurried up the 
San Juan hill at the opening of the Santiago fight. 

After the Spanish soldiers had fallen back and taken shelter in the firsf 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



483 



line of trenches in the direction of Santiago, Mr. Tabbert entered the block- 
house, and finding the key to the huge front door in its place appropriated it 
as a relic of the fight. He then went to the rear door, and there found a key 
in a partly demolished lock the corner of which had been blown off by the 
explosion of a shell that struck near it. A piece of the shell had struck the 
key, bending it and making it all the more interesting as a memorial. 

" I think more of these keys than anything else I brought from Cuba," 
said Mr. Tabbert, " for they are out of the usual line of relics. Lots of the 
boys tried to beg and buy them from me, but I wouldn't part with them. 
Even the officers were after them, and some regular army officers wanted me 
to put a price on them, but I wouldn't. 

" Here is a watch that I got. It is a cheap open-faced silver one, with a 
fob chain and small steel horseshoe attached. The dead Spanish soldier in 
whose hand I found it held it with his death grip, and with it had a handker- 
chief in which were wrapped a few Spanish silver coins. We had to bury the 
body, and I took the handkerchief, coins and watch from his clenched fingers, 
and will give them to whoever is entitled to them, if they are claimed. 

"I also have an iron stirrup that I took from a saddle found in the block- 
house, and a money-belt that was shot from a Spanish soldier. The shot that 
cut the belt killed him. I also have two machetes- — a small one taken from 
a private and a large one that belonged to an officer — but I think most of 
the keys." 

Our First War Trophy. 

Of the first war trophy captured from the enemy the Hon. William E. 
Mason, United States Senator from Illinois, is the proud and fortunate pos- 
sessor. It is the Castilian flag which floated defiantly from the heights of the 
Cavite forts and arsenal at Manila on May 1st, in the face of Admiral Dewey's 
squadron. 

After the bombardment and surrender the flag was taken by a body of 
marines from the Olympia, and shortly thereafter the crew in a body sent the 
flag to Senator Mason in recognition of his manly and patriotic denunciation 
of Spanish intrigue and treachery in the destruction of the battle-ship Maine. 
,The flag, accompanied by the following letter from the Olympia's crew, 
reached Senator Mason in Chicago : 

"United States Flagship Olympia, \ 
"Cavite, Philippine Islands, May 12, 1898. J 

To the Honorable W. E. Mason, Senator, Illinois, United States of America. 

" Sir : — Please accept the accompanying Spanish flag in the name of the 
ship's company of the United States flagship Olympia. 

" This flag was taken (after the destruction of the Spanish fleet) from the 



484 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



forts and arsenal at Cavite after the bombardment and surrender, Manila Bay, 
May i, 1898. 

" This is sent as a token of our esteem for your patriotic utterances in 
Congress with regard to the Maine disaster, which sentiments had a ready 
echo in the heart of every bluejacket serving under the Star Spangled Banner. 
" Very respectfully, your obedient servants, 
(Signed for the ship's company.) 

"J. S. Eckstrom, Chief Master-at- Arms. 
" W. W. Creagh, Chief Yeoman!' 
The flag is ten by fourteen feet in length, having in the center the coat 
of arms of Castile, with the lion rampant and the castle tower. The bars are 
three feet wide, two red, the centre being of a faded yellow. The flag is rent 
in numerous places from pieces of bursting shells and rifle bullets, while the 
bunting is dimmed here and there by blotches of Spanish blood. 

Senator Mason enthusiastically declares that he prizes this victorious 
trophy more than his seat in the United States Senate. To have so moved 
the hearts of an alien crew — none being from Illinois — in the far off Philip- 
pines ! Surely, he says, 

" One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." 

A Porto Rico Boy for a Mascot 

Nearly every company that saw service abroad and was ordered home 
brought back with it a mascot. In some cases, it was a monkey ; in other 
cases, a pig, more often it was a dog. A Pennsylvania company, however, 
imported a Porto Rico boy much against his will. 

Alcadeo Debedu, fourteen years old, a native of Ponce, was induced by 
some of the Pennsylvania troops to go on board the transport Mississippi with 
them when she was about to leave Ponce. The boy was brought to New 
York on the steamship. When the soldiers disembarked at the Pennsylvania 
Railroad pier the boy, who was much frightened and very homesick, refused 
to go on the train. He cried bitterly and after a while became hysterical. 
Some of the railroad men sent word to Police Captain Cox of the Gregory 
street station. The captain had the boy brought to the station. The boy 
said, through an interpreter, that the soldiers told him that the ship was only 
going for a short trip and that he would be taken back home in a few hours. 
When the transport got out to sea and the boy learned that he had been 
deceived he became frantic and cried continually. Captain Cox communi- 
cated with Captain Goudie of the Mississippi, and was informed by the latter 
that he would take the boy on the ship on the chance that she might be sent 
back to Porto Rico, and that if she was not sent back he would endeavor to 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



485 



have him sent home on some other steamship. The boy, accompanied by 
the interpreter, was sent down to the Mississippi, but Captain Goudiewas not 
on board and the officer in charge refused to receive him. The boy was then 
taken to the Oakland avenue police station and placed in charge of Matron 
Wyatt. He was a bright, intelligent little fellow, and was able to leave for 
his home a few days later. His homesickness was lightened by abundant 
gifts of money and other things, which strike a boy's fancy, by the Pennsyl- 
vanians, who were anxious to make amends. 

Quizzing Relic Hunters. 

Among the volunteers and regulars, as well, existed a keen desire for 
souvenirs. Upon the return of the troops, they were beset on all sides for 
some of these historic mementos. When Sampson's squadron returned to 
New York harbor, in some way the women had heard that the jack tars on 
board Commodore Philip's fighting ship were making rings out of silver coins 
they had found on board the wrecked Spanish warships. Two or three girls 
had got some of the rings the day before and had shown their prizes around 
when they reached shore. Then there was a run on the ring makers. Most 
of the silver was blackened and twisted by fire, but this only made it doubly 
dear as souvenirs. 

One of the most expert ring makers was Bill Davis, whose facility with 
his fingers was only equaled by the glibness of his tongue. When he would 
pound out the silver he would regale his big-eyed visitors with ghastly tales 
of the fight with Cevera. 

" This here coin," he said, holding up a piece of metal so black it looked 
like iron, " is five pesetas. Look at it hard enough and you'll see the Boy 
King's face under the black. I was one of the first men on board the Maria 
Teresa. There was a man standing at a gun with the firing lanyard in his 
hand. He was burned to a crisp. I gave him a push and over he went on 
the burned deck. I heard some coins rattle and picked up these pieces. 

" How much money did you find on board ?" asked a pretty blonde, 
when she had got over shivering at the narration. 

" That's giving away on myself, miss, but there's a chap not far from you 
that found $600 on board the Infanta." 

" And, I suppose, he turned it all over to Admiral Sampson, didn't he ? " 
said the girl, pleased to think she could anticipate the answer. 

" If the Admiral don't eat, miss, till he pays for his rations with what he 
got out of that $600, he'll lose more than the thirty pounds he lost on the 
blockade." 

" Oh ! that was stealing » " 



486 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



" Maybe it was, miss, but you're one of the thieves then." 
" How dare you ? " 

" No offense, young lady, but that $600 has gone the way of that ring 
you've just put in your purse. Yes'm, that's what we've been a doing with it 
— giving it away to visitors. I wouldn't a missed it, either, if the captain had 
let me have my way. I found a skeleton on the beach that had been picked 
so clean by the vultures that you would have thought it had been sandpapered. 
I wanted to bring the skeleton home. Wouldn't that a-been a dime museum 
curiosity ? The captain wouldn't let me do it, though." 

The Indiana's Punch Bowl. 

A punch bowl belonging to the battleship Indiana has a dent in it which 
its possessors would not have removed for any consideration. It is an honor- 
able scar, received in the war with Spain. The bowl forms part of a dinner 
service presented to the battleship about two years ago by the people of 
Indiana. It is a massive piece of silver eleven inches high and nineteen inches 
across the top at the widest part. It weighs twenty pounds, and has a capacity 
of four gallons. 

The whole service of twenty pieces is valued at $8,000, and contains no 
less than two hundred pounds sterling silver. Its presentation was made an 
important occasion by the number of distinguished guests present. The party, 
including Claude Matthews, then Governor of Indiana, and ex-President 
Harrison, were received on board the Indiana by Captain Robley D. Evans, 
at that time the ship's commander, and speeches were made by Governor 
Matthews, ex-President Harrison, and Charles R. Williams, of Indianapolis, 
the latter being largely instrumental in promoting the project. 

During the Cuban campaign the punch bowl, together with the other 
pieces of the set, was stowed away in the wardroom of the ship. At mid- 
night on July 3rd, while the Indiana was cruising near the entrance of 
Santiago Harbor, a shell from the Zocapa mortar battery struck near the 
quarter deck, pierced the armor, and burst in the wardroom. A fragment 
five inches long and varying from two to four inches in width hit the bowl on 
the engraved side, but, fortunately, not until its speed was well spent. The 
dent, however, covering a space of four inches in diameter, is at once notice- 
able, and is regarded with the greatest pride by the officers and crew. It 
extends over the portion of the bowl on which the State seal is engraved and 
a part of the inscription underneath, which reads : 

" Presented to the Battleship Indiana by the Citizens of Indiana, 1896." 

On the inside of the bowl, which is lined with gilt, and directly across 
the damaged portion, an account of how the bowl received its injury is to be 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



487 



engraved. The fragment of the shell has been preserved, and will be mounted 
on ornamental open work of silver, which will be used as a covering for the 
bowl. Said a correspondent at the Capital : 

"The latest invasion of Washington is by the relic hunters. From all 
portions of the Union inquiries are pouring in, some of them by word of 
mouth and some by letter, for particulars as to the disposal of materials of 
war captured by our army from the Spaniards. Most of the relic hunters are 
unwilling to trust to the honesty of the regular curio dealers, who profess to 
sell souvenirs of Santiago and the like ; but there seems to be a general feel- 
ing that if the Government would set apart such weapons and accoutrements 
as it may not need for its own use, and sell them, with a certificate of their 
authenticity, they would command a good market It has even been esti- 
mated that a Spanish rifle, which has been used in defending the enemy's 
works against the assaults of our troops, would bring a good enough price to 
purchase a new rifle of the best make for some American soldier. 

Condemned Arms and Ammunition. 

"In other words, it is believed that the Government could take the entire 
stock of captured arms, obsolete ammunition and equipments, and, with a little 
advertising, dispose of them for enough to purchase an equivalent stock of 
new and modern material which could be put to immediate practical use in 
our own army. There would be a precedent for this in the periodical adver- 
tisement and sale by the Government of quantities of condemned weapons 
and ammunition. 

"Most of this material is new, and has never been brought into use, but 
has been superseded by some more satisfactory device. In this way it is often 
possible to pick up an excellent rifle, in as good condition as when it left the 
factory, for two or three dollars, which it would be impossible to purchase at 
first hand for less than ten times as much. Cutlasses, sabres, horse-pistols, 
cavalry trappings, etc., are often sold thus for a mere song, and are bought 
by ready-made clothing dealers and other retail merchants, who present them 
to their customers as souvenirs of, or premiums on, large purchases. 

"Other lots are bought by collectors who make a specialty of furnishing 
museums, and also by junk and curio dealers, in whose hands they are smeared 
and battered enough to lend a color of truth to the labels pasted on them 
purporting to give a truthful account of the bloody engagements in which 
they have figured. Another trade which was pretty lively at one time, about 
the period when more effective projectiles were superseding the old iron balls 
for cannon and mortars in fortifications, was in such spheres for use on top of 
gate posts. It would have paid the Government at one time, looked at merely 



488 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



from the pecuniary point of view, to have gone into the business of buying 
big mortar-balls at wholesale and selling them at retail for the ornamentation 
of entrances to gentlemen's country seats. 

"General Flagler, chief of ordnance of the army, was advised by the ord- 
nance officer at Santiago that our Government will come into possession oi 
about 20,000 small arms of all kinds as the result of the Spanish surrender. 
Orders were issued that these weapons be placed at once on shipboard with- 
out the delay of packing them in cases. This was done so that the men who 
had to do the work would not be detained needlessly in the fever-infected 
district. The arms were brought to New York and placed in cars for ship- 
ment to the National Armory at Springfield, Mass. The ordnance officers 
put them on board the cars without packing them in cases, merely taking care 
that no gun should interfere with another. The reports from Santiago showed 
that there were but 8,000 Mausers in the stock of rifles surrendered by the 
Spanish. These were cleaned at the Springfield Armory and stored there, at 
least such of them as could be fitted for further use. The other guns may be 
sold, but the War Department officials profess to be not particularly anxious 
to advertise that fact, as they say they have had some unpleasant experiences 
with relic hunters already, though they do not specify wherein the unpleasant- 
ness consisted. 

Government Gets Small Arms. 

"The property turned over to the United States at Santiago included, 
besides the Mausers, almost every other existing type of rifle. The latter the 
Government will in all probability make no effort to use again. The cartridge- 
belts, also, which became the property of the United States, will be of little 
service. They are arranged to carry the cartridges in " clips " of five, and are 
not serviceable with our guns. In the Krag-Jorgensen rifle the cartridges are 
placed in the gun one by one, and the gun is so designed that it may be used 
as a single loader, the magazine being detatched or " cut off" for that purpose. 
Our cartridge belts are deemed superior in style ; and even in the event of our 
adopting the Spanish type of belt for uniform purposes, there are American 
designs which in construction surpass it in all the qualities desired in such an 
accoutrement. 

"The Bureau of Military Information has prepared some interesting com- 
parisons of the weapons used by the United States and Spanish infantry 
respectively. The Krag-Jorgensen rifle has a calibre of .3 inches, while the 
Mauser has a calibre of .276 inches. The barrel of each gun is in one piece, 
with wooden handguard. The weight of the Krag-Jorgensen, empty, with 
bayonet, is 10.324 pounds, and that of the Mauser 9.687 pounds. Both have 
the knife bayonet, the Mausers being an ounce lighter in weight than ours, 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



489 



The shell of the Krag-Jorgensen is a flanged affair, weighing 1 50 grains ; that 
of the Mauser is brass, bottle-necked, and grooved, and 157.93 grains in 
weight. The bullet of the Krag-Jorgensen has a jacket of cupro-nickeled 
steel 1.265 inches in length, cylindro-conical in shape, with ogivalhead, weight 
220 grains, with a sectional density of 2,954 grains per square inch. 

"The Mauser bullet has a jacket of steel-plated cupro-nickel 1.2 136 
inches in length, cylindro-ogival in shape, weighing about 178 grains, and 
with a density of 2,896 grains. The initial velocity of the Krag-Jorgensen 
is 2,000 foot-seconds, and that of the Mauser 2,338.5 at the muzzle. The 
range of the Krag-Jorgensen for maximum ordinate firing, lying down, is 565 
yards, and that of the Mauser about 680 yards. 

Storing Up Small Arms. 

"It will be seen from this comparison that it will not be practicable to use 
the same weapons in our army except under unusual conditions. It is pro- 
posed to store the serviceable Mausers at Springfield, keeping them in order 
for use with the powder and bullets which must be employed with that type 
of guns. General Flagler believes that they may prove of service in time of 
emergencies, when they could be issued to special troops ; these would then 
have a small-arm equipment unlike that of the rest of our military force ; but 
this condition was one which confronted our army in the war with Spain, 
the regulars being equipped with the Krag-Jorgensens, while most of the 
volunteer regiments carried Springfield rifles. With the development of the 
army incidental to the garrisoning of our newly-acquired colonies, it may be 
necessary to maintain a large force at a distance from the main body of troops, 
just as England does ; and in this event the 8,000 Mausers captured at San- 
tiago and stored away at Springfield may come to be of real value." 

Sergeant John Warner, of Philadelphia's crack City Troop, which was at 
Porto Rico, said of souvenirs : 

" The First Kentucky had the pick, and left us very little. That lucky 
regiment, you know, ' went through ? everything the soldiers had left behind, 
and they had taken very little with them ; even the coffee was untouched on 
the tables. Chests were opened and Spanish wardrobes rifled for anything 
that had value from association and could easily be carried away. The officers 
forbade plundering, but then the officers could not be everywhere at one and 
the same time. It was from the First Kentucky, which we met at Ponce, 
that a great many of the curios brought back by the boys were obtained. 
Among these were the flags carried by each man of the Alfonso XIII. Regi- 
ment. Sam Goodman has one — it is two and a half feet square — made of bunt- 
ing, with three stripes, a red one top and bottom and a yellow one between, 



490 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



upon which is the coat of arms of the regiment. The Spaniards bundled up 
their clothes in them. 

" They also had handkerchiefs of a unique pattern. In the centre was 
an outline drawing of a Mauser rifle, and around it were drawings of soldiers 
using it in different positions. On the border were printed full directions as 
to the way the arm should be handled and used. Unfortunately these were 
all burnt — by order. I brought home this Mauser, which, as can be seen, 
resembles very closely the Krag-Jorgensen. I also have these gourds, that 
sword-belt, and, of course, several buttons — most of which I have already 
given away." 

Mr. Francis A. Janney has a very highly prized medal — the Isabella 
Cross. It is given — like the Victoria Cross in England — for bravery. As an 
additional inducement to " be good " it has added to the ribbon on a silver 
strip every year the owner has maintained his record. The medal owned by 
Mr. Janney has five "strips" and the years 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, are 
engraved upon them, one upon each. The cross and the " strips " are hang- 
ing ribbons of red and yellow silk. 

Curious Mementos. 

Mr. Woodman possessed himself of the mackintosh of a garde de civille 
officer. It is of brown waterproof with a high standing collar of bright red 
with cross-lacing of narrow gold braid. Mr. Woodman declares it is his 
intention to use it himself upon rainy days. He also brought back, as did 
several others, an ox goad. They are used by the natives who drive them 
into the unfortunate animals for more than an inch, that is, as far as the iron 
point will go. The oxen carry the yoke, which is enormously heavy, on 
their horns, and it is a wonder their necks are not broken as well as their 
poor noses continually rubbed in the dust of the road. It is cruel, and a stop 
is going to be put to it by the American authorities. The yoke will be shifted 
to where it belongs. The drivers walk in front, and when the spirit moves 
them, turn round, and, reaching over the yoke, prod their beasts of burden 
in the back of the neck. They wear straw hats with " turn-up-or-down-able" 
brims at one end and a little bunch of plaited straws at the other. 

An officer of the Texas secured some trophies from the Maria Teresa. 
There were the clothes-hook and speaking-tube of Admiral Cervera, a Spanish 
naval button, some five-peseta pieces, a " clip " of Mauser cartridges and a 
pair of cuff-links made of Mauser bullets. The men of the Texas were so 
anxious to obtain relics that they poked about with sticks among the ashes, 
here and there discovering a dead body. 

"A sailor from the St. Paul boarded the Maria Teresa and found a pair 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



491 



of shoes he thought he would keep in remembrance, but when he found that 
they still contained their owner's feet he changed his mind somewhat hur- 
riedly. Later on an officer picked them up, but decided that it would not be 
very pleasant to step into a dead man's shoes until that gentleman's feet had 
evacuated the premises. The officer from the Texas also said that as he went 
past one of the turrets he was surprised to find Spanish soldiers standing 
around the guns as if about to fire them. His surprise was changed to horror 
when he discovered they were all headless. 

"After the unpleasant experience with the shoes this certainly was going 
from one extremity to the other, and he desisted in his pursuit of trophies for 
the time being. He could a tale unfold, but the revolting and nerve-trying 
scenes he went through are such that he wishes to forget them as quickly as 
possible and objects to talking about them even to his most intimate friends. 

A Handsome Ornament. 

" H. G. Kimball, of Battery A, Philadelphia, may also be cited as a 'for- 
tunate.' Among other things in his collection is a Spanish badge worn in 
front of the helmet. It is in two pieces, the top one representing a crown 
with a fan-like backing, and the lower a smaller crown above a shield sur- 
rounded by a wreath interlaced with a scroll, upon which are the words ' Plus 
Ultra.' These pieces fit together and slip into a groove in the helmet. It 
makes an exceedingly handsome ornament. He also has a button with the 
shield cut out, a couple of sword belt bridles, one belonging to the Royal 
Crown Artillery and the other to the Twenty-ninth Infantry; some Mauser, 
Krag-Jorgensen, Springfield and Remington cartridges, the last being the so- 
called ' poison bullets,' so internationally objected to. They do not contain 
poison, as some suppose, but, being made of brass, they corrode and superin- 
duce blood-poisoning. One of the Mauser cartridges is a 1 dummy.' That 
is, the powder is taken out of it. These dummies are given to the recruits 
to practice with when learning how to handle and load the rifle. Mr. Kimball 
is also well supplied with Porto Rican cigarettes. They cost 2*4 cents a 
package, and each package contains ten ' cigarillos.' They are ' all tobacco,' 
being wrapped in a tobacco leaf instead of paper. They are also a very good 
1 smoke.' Some Spanish coins in his possession would be of great interest to 
an amateur of numismatics and would amply repay the trouble of deciphering 
the engravings upon the silver, which have been obscured by wear and time. 

A less intrinsically valuable but equally interesting article is one of the 
needle-cases carried by all Spanish soldiers. A tailor's thimble slips part 
way down the lower half of the wooden tube, and is kept in place by the 
screwing on of the top of the case. The hat-decorating habit did not number 



492 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



Mr. Kimball among its victims, but, on the other hand he became a member 
of the Society for the Illustration of Pipes. He has many and various illus- 
trated pipes — one of which is sketched from two points of view. Some shells 
he picked up at Ponce are beautiful in their delicate coloring, while others 
have a bright red spot in the centre." 

A Story of General Miles. 

In the place of honor in the studio stands a handome photograph of 
General Miles. " That," observed Mr. Kimball, quietly, but enthusiasm 
lighting up his face — ''that is my ideal of a soldier. They say he is pompous, 
self-indulgent, a carpet warrior ; but I know better. I saw him at Ponce, and 
I know he is not so." Then, after much coaxing, he continued, " Oh, it hap- 
pened like this, you know. The horses were still on the transport, which 
was aground outside the harbor, and we had to go in details to look after 
them. The one I was assigned to was waiting on the pier for a lighter to take 
it to the transport and relieve the one on duty there already. Suddenly we 
heard piercing shrieks, mingled with Porto Rican oaths, and there appeared a 
boy of about ten or eleven years old, who was chased by a couple of men, one 
of whom kept up a fusilade of stones and execrations as he ran. The boy, 
who wore only a shirt and pants, fled screaming up the quay, and unhesitat- 
ingly plunged head-first off the pier and into the water. The men followed, 
and the same one coolly continued heaving rocks at the child in the water, 
and, had he been a good shot, would undoubtedly have killed him. 

" The boy was an expert swimmer, however, and, diving, came up again 
under the pier, where he clung to the piles in fear and trembling. Mean- 
while the sentry had arrested the man, who still held a huge stone in his 
hand. All this had happened very quickly, but not quickly enough to escape 
the eye of the commander-in-chief of the American army, whose headquarters 
Were near the scene of action, and he now sent word to bring up all parties 
concerned. - 

" Before the messenger arrived, however, I had scrambled down to help 
the boy, who was being buffeted by the waves and banged up against the 
very shelter he had sought. He had pulled off his little shirt, in case he had 
to swim for his life. The tears were streaming down his cheeks and his teeth 
were chattering with fear. He was the most miserable-looking little object I 
ever saw. He tried to get further away from me at first, but by dint of re- 
peating 'Americano' and 'not hurto you,' which was the nearest to Spanish 
I could get, I managed to get him to understand that I was a friend. Still he 
hesitated. 

" Then I became inspired with a happy thought ; I offered him three 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



493 



cents, all I had, and eventually he accepted the princely gift and my aid, and 
I got him up on deck again, just as the orderly from General Miles reached 
the pier. I had to go too as one of the parties 'concerned.' From what I had 
been led to infer, I expected I should find the general luxuriously and well 
housed, but what I found was a small square room containing a small desk 
and two wooden chairs. The commander-in-chief of the United States army 
sat in one chair and the interpreter leaned gracefully on the back of another. 
The General chewed tobacco, and occasionally expectorated out of the win- j 
dow behind which he was sitting. He wore a blue-silk negligee shirt, open 
at the throat, a leathern-belted pair of blue army trousers and a pair of boots. 
Hardly a 'dude,' eh ? 

One of the Army of Children. 

" The interpreter interrupted, and it seems that the poor little cuss who 
had been nearly stoned to death was one of the large army of children who 
are not wise. They do not know their own fathers. The place is full of them. 
The man had made him work for nothing and stoned him besides. The boy 
had been sick and could not work, and the man had beaten him until he ran 
away, upon which he had followed him and thrown a i few pebbles ' at him. 
The man admitted he was notoriously bad-tempered, and said he had been a 
little hasty, perhaps. General Miles then gave him ' Hail Columbia,' and 
promised that he should have the opportunity of becoming more leisurely in 
future in a military prison if he ever again molested the boy. Then he 
inquired what regiment I belonged to and told me to take the little fellow 
along and keep him at the Battery A quarters until we left. 

" This I did, the kid helping the cook and doing odd jobs, for which he 
received a few pennies, and apparently getting along happily. He disappeared 
shortly before we left, and I don't know what became of him. But the take- 
pot-luck manner in which General Miles was quartered, and the way he went 
about, and his lack of pomposity when addressing me — a private — made an 
impression no amount of adverse criticism can ever efface. No, that was about 
the only impression of a personal nature that I carried away with me, unless, 
perhaps, it is one shared by Battery A in toto. We were passing a house on 
the road from Ponce to Port au Ponce, to which we were going at a sharp trot. 

" On the piazza stood one of the prettiest girls I ever saw. Dark, of 
course, a pure Castilian type, and on her head she wore a large black hat with 
black ostrich feathers in it. Her dress was white, but at her neck and waist 
were touches of blue. A red rose was thrust through her sash, and red roses 
covered the porch beneath which she stood. She looked mournfully at us as 
a body, but individually she would not even notice us. The boys waved their 



494 



TROPHIES OF THE WAR. 



hats and tried to make her smile, but she probably misunderstood their 
motives, and returned the attention with a haughty curl of the lips and a 
scornful flash of the eye. We all looked back at the bend in the road, and 
the last I saw of her was as she dropped her head upon her hands and leaned 
heavily against the railing. I felt sorry for her — and — and — well, here's a 
little pencil sketch I made afterwards." 

Richard Bagley, one of the colored cooks, who accompanied Battery A, 
of Philadelphia, during its Porto Rican campaign, brought back with him a 
bright little Cuban boy— Francisco Gonzalez — who was with the Battery 
during its stay in Porto Rico, and who accompanied the organization on its 
return to this country. Gonzalez is twelve years old, and he is a great favorite 
with all the members. He cannot speak a word of English, but he has an 
intelligent face, and is pleased to breathe the free air of America. His parents 
died just before the war for independence was begun by the Cuban insur- 
gents. He was cared for by an old Cuban woman, who took him with her to 
Porto Rico when this country declared hostilities against Spain. 

Boy's Good Fortune. 

The old woman, who had been a veritable mother to the boy, only con- 
sented to part with him when assured by officers of Battery A that he should 
have the best of treatment, and be given an education. The lad is not the 
least bit homesick, and is pleased with his new surroundings. Bagley will 
take him to Newport News, where he will enter the family of Bagley's sister 

Among the many pets of military camp life which the boys brought home 
from the war, perhaps the most curious is the baby 'possum of the First 
Pennsylvania Regiment, which belongs to Private Al David Estoclet, a mem- 
ber of Company F. Private Estoclet has named her Miss Chickamauga, but 
the boys call her " The Daughter of the Regiment." She attended every 
drill, guard mount, or dress parade that her owner participated in during her 
sojourn with the soldiers, safely stowed away in the breast pocket of his blue 
flannel shirt. What she doesn't know about soldierly bearing and correct 
discipline it is said is not worth knowing. 

One of the soldiers brought here on the Relief, and sent to his home in 
the West a day or two ago, had with him a long pasteboard box which he 
had carried all the way from Cuba. He had been in the battle of El Caney, 
and was shot in the knee and one arm, but he managed to hang onto the box, 
although he had little of his kit left. To the patrol sergeant and driver he 
showed what he had found, and within the box was about sixty Mauser bul- 
lets, a number of fired shells, a part of an officer's sword-hilt, an infantryman's 
hat, and a handful of buttons, given him by Spaniards. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



Sketches of Famous Nurses on the Battlefield and in Camp. 

DISTINGUISHED soldier in the Civil War, retiring from Con- 
gress to again assume a military command, General Joseph Wheeler, 
gained new laurels in the war with Spain. But his name will not 
live because of his own achievments alone, but for the devotion, 
sacrifices and hardships of his daughters, who were ministering angels among 
our soldiers from Santiago to Montauk. It was blind destiny and incompre- 
hensible tragedy that after the brave deeds of the father and loving deeds of 
the daughters, young Lieutenant Wheeler, after returning unharmed from 
Santiago, should be drowned at Montauk Point in a gallant struggle to save 
the life of a comrade who was overcome while bathing. 

Here is what a correspondent wrote about Miss Wheeler, whom he 
met in Cuba : 

"American women proved themselves grandly in the trying work of the 
campaign in Cuba, and at Siboney ; in the division hospitals, in the tents where 
yellow fever cases were numbered by scores, the Red Cross nurses toiled, 
saving the lives of others, caring not for their own until exhaustion and loss 
of sleep would conquer will-power. Every one of these heroines deserves a 
story all her own. I tell only of what I saw of one, Miss Wheeler, after the 
surrender of Santiago, and when the fighting was over. 

" She had come from the States to do what she could for the soldiers, 
and had already been of invaluable service in the first terrible and bloody 
days when the medical staff and hospital equipment of the army had proved 
totally inadequate to the needs of the sick and wounded. Then, as soon as it 
was possible, she joined her father, General Wheeler, and her brother, Lieu- 
tenant, in the field, at the cavalry headquarters near El Caney, and cared for 
them both in illness. 

" Two days after the American troops had entered Santiago, I rode out 
the El Caney road to the Rough Riders' camp, which had been moved from 
the trenches to the beautiful valley along which were scattered the different 
regiments of the cavalry division which General Wheeler commanded. The 
four miles of road were in a horrible condition. 

" Frequently the mud was so soft and churned up that a horse plunged 
in up to his knees, while at almost every hill was a six-mule army wagon 
mired to the hubs, and a red-faced sweating teamster cursing with the finish 

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SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



and abandon of a past master. A horse must flounder, stumble, and pick his 
way along at a walk, and steer between bottomless mud holes and tangles of 
barbed wire, which has been torn out from the lines of obstructions staked 
out by the Spaniards. 

" The streams to be forded were not deep, but the steep banks had been 
cut up by travel until it was even betting whether one's horse would bog his 
forelegs and fall or not. It was bad and dangerous riding nearly all the way. 

" But a couple of hours later there came riding through the Rough 
Riders' camp a fresh and dainty-looking American girl, who had braved this 
road from Santiago, escorted by only two bronzed regular troopers, who rode 
behind her. But this pair of blue-shirted, sinewy troopers, sabres and car- 
bines at side, revolvers in belt, would have cheerfully died before allowing 
any harm to come to Miss Wheeler, the daughter of their commander. 

An American GirL 

"An American girl out in this valley, filled with thousands of rough, 
ragged, fighting men, within sight of blockhouses and trenches, where they 
had seen their comrades die ; a mile or so away a captured Spanish army 
huddled in camp along the San Juan valley by the graves of friend and foe — 
well, just to look at an American girl, as trim and attractive in shirt-waist and 
straw hat as if she were out for a morning gallop in the park, was to doubt 
one's eyesight. 

" If she had explained that she had just dropped from the clouds, the 
statement would not have been doubted in the least. The sight did the 
troopers good until they fell pensively to thinking of other sweet and dainty 
girls in shirt-waists and straw hats, who were far from the road to El Caney, 
and who would never come riding through camp of a morning with a guard 
of cavalrymen. 

" The work of nursing had only begun with the caring for those wounded 
in battle. They were shipped North on transports as expeditiously as possi- 
ble. But sickness began to surge through the camps in great black waves. 
Those days and nights in the trenches exacted their penalty. 

" In the division hospitals at the front it was impossible to furnish the 
comforts which the sick require, more and more so when the sick rolls 
swelled to more than 4000 cases per month, the great majority of them the 
' Calentura/ or malarial fever, which makes of a strong man a limp, wasted, 
yellow spectre in a couple of weeks. No hospitals had been established in 
Santiago, where public buildings could have been used for the purpose, 
because of the fearful sanitary condition of the city, and the great amount of 
sickness among the inhabitants. 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



497 



" There was one suitable location, however, and here there was estab- 
lished the coolest, cleanest, most comfortable hospital in all the island of 
Cuba, and Miss Wheeler was placed in charge of the nursing. The building 
was owned by the Santiago Yacht Club, a large, attractive club-house 
perched far out over the water, always breeze-swept and cool. The winds 
came through the spacious dancing hall pungent with the brine of the sea. 

" The little waves lapped the piles beneath and murmured a lullaby to 
the sick soldier, and out in the harbor the mighty fleet of transports was 
always coming and going. White sheets on the comfortable iron cots, 
American women nurses in fresh blue gowns, snowy caps and aprons, ice for 
the asking, food delicacies daintily prepared and served — it was like a bit of 
Paradise to the sick soldier brought in from the field, where there had been 
none of those things, and he had been burning and freezing in his illness, 
with only a blanket between him and the water-soaked earth. 

Well Equipped Hospital. 

" This was a hospital worthy the name, and was the only army hospital 
under a roof in the Santiago field. There were more than a hundred beds 
always occupied, and the work was tremendously wearing on the brave 
women who did the nursing. Many a life was saved in the dancing hall of 
the yacht club, and on its wide and shaded porches. The soldiers on duty 
in the city were falling victims to the fever in such numbers that this hospital 
was unable to furnish cots enough, and all around the porches were sick men 
stretched out on blankets on the floor, perhaps dozens of them ; from 5 in the 
morning until 10 at night, Miss wheeler worked among her patients, and 
bore the responsibilities of authority and oversight. The climate sapped her 
store of energy, and the work was infinitely exhausting to mind and body. 

" Miss Wheeler took the sorrows and troubles of her ' boys ' personally 
to her heart, and more than once her eyes filled and there was a sob in her 
voice as she told me of some brave young fellow who was gasping his life 
away, and who would not live out the day. It was very pitiful to see the vic- 
tims carried in where the best of care awaited them, only to find that it was 
too late, and no earthly help could stay the ebbing of the tide. But there 
were few deaths in 1 Miss Wheeler's Hospital,' as the soldiers called it. 
Good care and proper food pulled nearly all of the patients together, and 
these things were better for them than medicine. 

" Miss Wheeler was a ray of sunshine in these sad and gloomy scenes, 
and it may be said of her as of Florence Nightingale, the soldiers kissed her 
shadow as it fell across their pillows. Her strength held out providentially 
until the stress of the work was over, and the troops were being shipped 
32 



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SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



North, when she accompanied General Wheeler to Montauk Point, where she 
continued her mission of mercy. 

" In the midst of all the heart-rending stories of suffering and neglect 
among the sick soldiers, it is pleasant to make this mention of one army 
hospital, concerning which only praise can be said : an oasis in the Santiago 
desert. 

"Certainly Miss Wheeler and 'her' hospital will live always in the 
memory of many an American soldier and correspondent, who was cared for 
at Santiago in the Yacht Club over the water of the blue harbor." 

Miss Helen Gould. 

No one woman, perhaps, accomplished so much for the comfort of the 
soldiers, without accompanying them to the battlefield, as Miss Helen M. 
Gould, of New York. Daughter of the late railroad magnate, Jay Gould, 
she is many times a millionaire. She started by giving the government out- 
right $100,000 to be applied to the expenses of the war. 

She then turned her attention to sending comforts to camp and in equip- 
ping relief expeditions for the army in Cuba. She was a large contributor to 
all the relief organizations, including the Red Cross, and personally employed 
for several months a large number of women at her place at Irvington-on- 
the-Hudson in making bandages and hospital clothing for the sick and 
wounded. 

When the camp was established at Montauk Point, she was its minister- 
ing angel and personally became responsible for thousands of dollars' worth 
of comforts for the sick in the hospital. She visited the camp daily while it 
was in existence. 

Two young women of wealthy parentage who went out as Red Cross 
nurses were the Misses A. and E. Caroline Kopper, daughters of Colonel 
Frederick Kopper, a well-known New Yorker, whose son served with the 
Seventy-first Volunteers. 

For generations the Kopper family has been named among the wealthy 
ones of New York. Both of the young women are independent in their in- 
dividual real estate holdings. Their personal interest in the lives of the 
soldiers is probably derived from their father, who entered the militia in 1861 
and continued in service until a few years ago, when he retired from the Na- 
tional guard. 

Instructions in the duties of Red Cross assistants were received daily by 
the Misses Kopper and they passed a rigid examination before they provided 
themselves with the regulation Red Cross uniform and announced themselves 
ready for duty at the front either in Cuba or the Philippines. That they 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



499 



might the better be prepared for this service they took up the study of the 
Spanish language under a competent teacher. 

Secretary Long's Daughter. 

In four charming volunteers at the Naval Hospital in the New York 
Navy Yard, the American girl born to wealth and social position had a 
shining example. For one was no less a personage than Miss Helen Long, 
daughter of the Secretary of the Navy. The other three were Miss Long's 
classmates at Johns Hopkins University, where they are taking a course in 
medicine. They were all of good family, and all left homes of ease and luxury 
to assume their duties as nurses. 

Miss Long's companions were Miss Mabel Reid, Miss Mabel Austen 
and Miss Dorothy Simis. They were very much in earnest, all of them. 
They realized that the course they had mapped out for themselves was no 
child's play, but at the same time, while they had the satisfaction of knowing 
that they were doing a good work in the cause of humanity, they would 
modestly tell you, should you be so fortunate as to meet them, that they were 
gaining a valuable experience in the line of their chosen profession. For all 
four expect to become physicians. 

They would tell you that they were not nurses in reality ; that they 
didn't know enough about it to assume the dignity of the title. They would 
tell you that they were merely spending their summer vacations where the 
experience would be beneficial to them when they returned to their studies 
in the fall. They would admit that they " helped around," and, if you pressed 
the point, they would not deny assisting at operations involving the amputa- 
tion of a limb. But they were not trained nurses — oh, no ; they didn't claim 
to be that 

But there was quite another side to the story. Should you have stopped 
to talk with any of the battered Jackies tossing on the white cots or hobbling 
about the shady hospital grounds you would have heard a different tale. The 
hospital ship Solace had brought a lot of them from the South a short time 
before, and some of the survivors of the Maine were still there. Some were 
minus legs, some sans arms, and still others suffering from the Southern 
climate, quite as deadly as the enemy's shot and shell. 

Ask any of those battered hulks what they think of the services of Miss 
Long and her companions. The modesty of the fair volunteers and their 
tendency to under-estimate their services, may possibly have led one to 
believe that, after all, their services were not a matter of much importance to 
anybody. But ask any of the patients, and hear what they have to say. 

Every one of them, to a man, swore by the fair young nurses. One 



500 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



bronzed young fellow, with his shattered arm in a sling, drew from his bosom 
with his remaining good hand a withered rose. He tenderly held it up for 
inspection. " Miss Long gave me that," he said simply, " and I intend to 
keep it as long as I live." 

It was his first day out in the grounds. One morning, while lying on 
his cot, Miss Long entered the ward with the rose at her bosom. She 
stopped and spoke a few words of cheer to the wounded sailorman, smoothed 
his pillow for him, and as she moved away dropped the rose into a glass of 
water standing on the little table at his bedside. Do you think that chap 
would ever part with the rose, the gift of the daughter of the Secretary of the 
Navy ? Not for its weight in gold. 

The four girls offered their services in many little ways that endeared 
them to the sick and wounded jackies. One of the men told how Miss Long 
had written a letter home to his mother. Another told of how the young 
ladies would sit and read to him. And still another told of how nicely they 
had packed the trunk of a comrade who had been discharged a few days 
before. It is in these little attentions that they won the hearts of the sick 
and wounded. 

All four of the young women wore the regulation nurses' costume. They 
were on duty from 8 o'clock in the morning until 6 in the evening, and had 
night duties to perform. Two of them were assigned to the tubercular 
wards. 

A Regular Army Nurse. 

Miss Mary A. Koeller was a regular army nurse on duty in Porto Rico. 
" I have been a regular army nurse ten years," Miss Koeller says, and one 
looks at her in sheer wonder, for her face is that of a woman of twenty-five. 
Her eyes are large, and there is a tinge of sadness in their expression. That 
Miss Koeller looks upon duty as if it were to be always spelled in capitals, is 
evident from her part in the recent war. Through it all she nursed the 
wounded and ill at Fortress Monroe, and when the war was over her ceaseless 
efforts had left her ill in turn, worn out, and in urgent need of a rest. 

Mrs. Miles obtained a furlough for Miss Koeller, and she went with Mrs. 
Miles and her family to join the Commanding General in Porto Rico. As 
soon as she arrived, however, the army nurse took her place among the sick. 
She labored in the hospital day and night, almost without rest, and then came 
the long trip home. An extended furlough awaited her there, but Miss 
Koeller went to Fortress Monroe again, there to take up her labor of love. 

When she tells one these things she smiles a protest. 

" There will be time for rest by and by," she says, " but now all are 
needed. The business of war is terribly interesting; so absorbing that one 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



501 



forgets all else," and the large, dark eyes of the army nurse looked just a 
trifle sadder than before. 

" There are so many cases that are interesting from a medical stand- 
point," she explained. " Personalities are lost sight of. The war has 
brought us much that we knew nothing of before. It is fascinating to study 
each case, to notice the small differences, to watch the effect of medicine." 

Yet Miss Koeller does not look like one who could analyze the fluctua- 
tions of a dying man's pulse. One thinks of her rather as in a white cap 
finding flowers to make a sick room pleasant. Miss Koeller graduated from 
a training school in Philadelphia. She traveled around the world, and, 
returning, entered the regular army. 

" I am a regular," she says, " a trained army nurse," and she says it 
proudly. She has words of praise for the volunteers of the Red Cross, but 
she says she is glad that she is a regular. 

" I have watched the work of the nurses during the war, and I saw it at 
close range in Porto Rico. They have done their duty — that is, they have 
done all they could do." 

Such is Miss Koeller's testimony, and all one can do from her stand- 
point is to entirely sacrifice self. 

The Nurse at Fort Myer. 

Miss Elizabeth R. Kratz, daughter of Dr. Harvey Kratz, who was a for- 
mer student at the West Chester (Pennsylvania) Normal School, was a nurse 
in the hospital at Fort Myer. In writing about her duties she said : " We are 
very busy just at present, with the two hundred patients from Montauk, but 
expect to be through with the work here in a few weeks, unless we get 
patients from somewhere else, which isn't likely to happen. I have enjoyed 
my war experience very much. It is almost as good as being a real soldier. 
The men are very grateful and appreciative ; my section contains the regulars. 
My Santiago heroes I call them. 

" It is a treat to hear them describe the country, the trip, and the bat- 
tles. The one man I am particularly proud of was among the selected men 
to help raise the Stars and Stripes above the town of Santiago. In most cases 
the men are genuine soldiers, battling through long sieges of sickness, 
which requires more courage and patience than storming a town. President 
McKinley paid us a visit several days ago, talking pleasantly to the patients 
and nurses." 

Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee was the first woman to receive a military 
commission from Uncle Sam. She was commissioned as Acting Assistant 
Surgeon in the United States Army, and began her official duties in New 



502 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



York early in August. Her first duty was to select thirty women nurses for 
the army in Porto Rico. 

In speaking about her commission, Dr. McGee said : " It carries the 
rank, pay and quarters of a second lieutenant, but I must wear a second lieu- 
tenant's uniform, which I am now having made. It will be the same as a 
regular officer's uniform, except that I shall wear a skirt instead of trousers. 
The skirt will be of army cloth, and the jacket like a man's, shoulder straps 
and all. My commission is for a limited period, to be renewed as my ser- 
vices are required. It will not alter the work I have been doing as a member 
of the Red Cross since the war began." 

The Endless Chain. 

Early in the war, Miss Natalie Schenck, of Babylon, L. L, became the 
heroine of the largest endless letter-chain scheme known in the world. To 
raise funds for relief work, it occurred to her to forward letters to her friends 
asking them to send her a dime and to request a half dozen of their friends 
to do the same in their turn. 

The return was astonishing. A paid corps of assistants could not attend 
to the work and she was compelled to give notice through the press to send 
her no more money. More than $10,000 was raised in this way. 

Miss Martha L. Draper, daughter of Dr. Wm. Draper, and prominent in 
New York society, was matron of the Red Cross Hospital in Charleston, S. C. 

Mrs. U. S. Grant was president of the Women's National War Relief 
Association, which sent nurses and supplies to all the field hospitals. These 
nurses were nearly all immunes, and being trained nurses, the Association 
paid them the regular trained nurse salary. 

Among the contributions received were suits of pajamas, bandages, night 
shirts and immense quantities of other goods from Miss Helen Gould. The 
articles which were sent to various hospitals, were made by needy women in 
Irvington-on-the-Hudson, to whom Miss Gould paid liberal wages. 

In a letter to the association, Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth made a re- 
port of her work in Fortress Monroe. She said she arrived there when the 
first of the wounded soldiers were received. In addition to the regular hos- 
pital, a brick building, Mrs. Walworth said there were twenty-four separate 
tents, each containing twenty cots. She said that the rations supplied were 
good, but unsuitable for invalids, on account of the cooking. The services 
of the French chef sent by the association were, therefore, gratefully received 
by the government. 

Mrs. Walworth's letter continued : " This morning I was talking with 
a surgeon, who said an officer was unable to start home, because he could 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



503 



not go away without crutches. The government does not allow them to take 
crutches away, nor are they allowed to buy any. Luckily, just as I was 
having this conversation, an expressman came up with an extra pair oi 
crutches you had sent. I turned them over to the officer, and he was able to 
leave for home to-day." 

Fifty pairs of crutches were sent to the hospital at once. 

Another woman warrior was Josephine Rizal, one of the leaders of the 
rebellion against Spain in the Philippines. She was married at 20, and when 
she had been a bride for only one hour her husband was executed before her 
eyes by the Spanish. The deed aroused widespread excitement, and was one 
of the causes that led to the assassination of Canovas, the Spanish Prime 
Minister. The frenzied young widow swore that she would avenge her hus- 
band's murder, and that Spanish lives by the score should pay for his life. 
She went to Aguinaldo at rebel headquarters and requested permission to 
enter the ranks, which was granted, and from the first she fought with a reck- 
less dash and courage that made her conspicuous in every engagement. At 
last she fell into the hands of General Primo de Rivera, who in recognition 01 
her bravery, released her. Later he repented his chivalrous generosity, and 
Spanish soldiers were sent to follow and capture her, but through the warning 
and assistance of friends she escaped to Hong Kong. 

Clara Barton's Love Story. 

Mrs. A. B. Fox, formerly a Washington woman, now living in Illinois, in 
a recent letter to a granddaughter living in Washington, became reminiscent 
about Clara Barton. Mrs. Fox knew Clara years ago, when she was a clerk 
in Washington. She says : 

" The pleasantest part of a Washington winter centred around a young 
girl named Barton. She was of medium height, slender, and had a figure 
that indicated great powers of endurement. Though not practically beautiful, 
she had dark, expressive eyes that were very attractive, and she possessed, 
unconsciously to herself, great powers of fascination. Her voice was low, 
soft, and of such extraordinary sweetness that we would sit for hours listening 
to her. She was devoted to some philanthropic work she was doing, and she 
picked up sympathizers readily. 

" That winter she had come to Washington from Massachusetts, and had 
received a position in the Patent Office. She was employed as copyist, and 
in six weeks she told us that she had been put upon the more responsible work 
of abridging original papers and preparing records for publication. In those 
days there were no typewriting machines, and Miss Barton had to write all by 
hand. She wrote a clear, round hand, and her books were marvels of neat- 



504 



SRETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



ness. She was much in demand in the Patent Office, and all the nice pieces 
of work were laid upon her desk for the finishing touches. This made extra 
work, of course, but Miss Barton liked to work. 

"One evening we asked her to join us at an evening revel, but she said 
she had other work to do. We asked her if she had to work evenings ; she 
laughed and said no, unless she chose to do so. Then she put on her hat — 
a flat one, with a ribbon twisted around it — and a cape, and went out. 

" She was gone until 12 o'clock. I happend to be in the hall when she 
came in. ' Aren't you tired ? ' I asked her. 

" ' No,' said she, ' I am not. I was tired when I went out, but I have 
helped two women and that has rested me.' 

" And then it came out that she had been working nights upon schemes 
of benevolence. She had entered into the cause with an enthusiasm that was 
quite sincere, and often amusing. She helped with her purse and with her 
personal influence deserted wives, destitute women, orphan children, boys 
who wanted to get into business, men who had failed in business, and all 
others who were in trouble. She was keeping this up and doing her work in 
the Patent Office. 

" But what has this to do with her love story, you ask ! Well, in the house 
that winter was a Southerner, a young man of fine family, who had come to 
Washington — on a Government mission. He was getting a good salary and 
was in Washington society, more than the rest of us. 

Daughter of a Leading Citizen. 

" He took a fancy to Miss Barton. At first she amused him ; then she 
interested him; finally he admired her. He was of proud family, though, 
and I shall never forget how systematically he went to work in his love- 
making. 

" He wrote to Worcester county, Massachusetts, and ascertained that 
her father, Stephen Barton, was a man of character and position, who had 
fought in the early days of the Republic, and was known throughout his State 
for his sterling uprightness, devotion to law and order — in short he was a 
a leading citizen. 

" After he ascertained that the lady of his admiration was worthy the 
proud name he bore, this cool-headed young Southerner set to work to win 
Clara Barton. 

" It was pathetic to see how he watched her and waited for her When 
she came home from her work, often after the dinner hour, she would 
find fresh flowers in her room, and after dinner, when she appeared hatted 
and cloaked, ready for her evening work, she would find him at the door 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



505 



begging to accompany her. At first she took him along, and very useful she 
found him, as she told us next day. His ready purse, his good judgment and 
his physical strength supplied the very qualities which she needed. But 
after awhile we noticed that he went out with her less. 

" About this time he began to grow moody, and to take a less cheerful 
view of life. We asked Miss Barton what was the trouble. She flushed and 
tried to turn the subject. Then we knew ! 

" The evening missions were getting to be too much missions of love and 
too little missions of work, and Clara Barton would never sacrifice her work 
to her love. She liked him — we were positive of it — but she would not give 
up her work for him ! 

" Soon the Administration changed, and Clara Barton — strange as it 
now seems — was ousted. Her views were not in keeping with the Adminis- 
tration. Perhaps she was a little indiscreet about that time in her utterances, 
but in the light of later achievements, she can be pardoned. 

" We never saw the young hero again, for soon afterward he went South, 
and when the war broke out he joined his regiment. 

Off for the War. 

"Promptly at the beginning of the war Clara Barton 'enlisted/ She 
was in Massachusetts when a regiment of wounded men came home, and 
after seeing them made comfortable, she determined to follow the army and 
help others. 

" We were told by a friend who visited us in Washington that winter 
that once on a Southern battlefield, Miss Barton came across a wounded man. 
He was lying with one arm across his head, a cruel hole in his side. She 
bent over him to make him more comfortable. Then she put his arm down, 
so that she could put a drop of stimulant to his lips. He opened his eyes, 
and a look of indescribable happiness came over his face. He sighed and 
breathed his last. It was her Southerner. They were united at last ! 

" Miss Barton went home after she lost her position and nursed her 
father. Then, obedient to his last instructions, she entered upon the work of 
nursing as a profession. The war offered her the best field, and her results 
were so satisfactory that she went from one battlefield to another until her 
name became known even before the National Red Cross sprang into exist- 
ence. She was cool in the crack of guns, and cared nothing for dress or 
fatigue. 

" A great many men fell in love with Clara Barton in the war of 1861- 
'65, but none ever loved her as unselfishly as did our Southerner, in Wash- 
ington, that winter." 



506 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



To a bright and winsome miss of twenty years, fresh from the Sunflower 
State, belongs the distinction of having been the only American girl to follow 
the boys in blue to Cuba, and to make her way to the front against many 
obstacles and by her own exertions. Elsie Reasoner is the name of this 
plucky little heroine. She does not look a day over nineteen, and is a trim 
little body, as dainty as a bit of rare Dresden china. 

Miss Reasoner was born in Kansas, in the midst of daisies and sun- 
flowers, and is a splendid example of the bright, cheery, breezy, self-reliant 
girl of the Western prairies. She writes well and she talks well, inheriting 
these talents, perhaps, from her father, Judge Calvin Reasoner, at one time a 
prominent editorial writer of Leavenworth, and later connected with the 
Chicago press. As a conversationalist and story-teller he has had few equals. 

Was Called Foolhardy. 

When the Spanish-American war broke out Miss Reasoner was at Omaha 
in charge of the Bureau of Publicity at the exposition. W T ith the first sound 
of the bugle she was astir, and determined to go to Cuba to see for herself 
what a real campaign and a real battle were like ; in fact, as she confided to 
the writer, " I had read what General Sherman said, that ' war is hell,' and I 
was seized with a desire to investigate on my own account, and see if he really 
knew what he was talking about. 

4i I first sought some encouragement from publishers, but got little. You 
see, hardly any one thought it possible that I would ever reach the scene of 
the conflict, and most of my friends and acquaintances who knew of my inten- 
tion either laughed at me or tried to frighten me. One publisher, for whose 
magazine I thought I might write an interesting article descriptive of my 
experiences, wrote me that my proposed undertaking was 'positively absurd 
and foolhardy.' However, I persevered, and in due time sailed from New 
York for Kingston, bearing splendid letters of recommendation from quite a 
number of influential public men. 

" I had one to General Miles, one to General Shafter, and several to 
officers of the fleet, from Admiral Sampson down to captains of the fighting 
ships. From Kingston I went by rail to Port Antonio — a beautiful spot, by 
the way, and one about which very little seems to be known in this country. 
After waiting there some time the Red Cross steamer State of Texas came 
over for ice for our wounded soldiers, and I was permitted to board her and 
go on to Siboney." 

" Then you did not witness the destruction of Cervera's fleet ? " 

" No; but I saw some of the remains, and mighty suggestive they were 
of the skill and prowess of the American navy." 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



507 



" Siboney, I suppose, you found attractive?" 

" Well, Siboney may not have been as ugly as it has been painted. What 
little I saw of it was rather picturesque. Little old houses, one story, with 
verandas in front, all painted blue, and strung along one narrow, crooked 
street; wild flowers and tropical foliage all about, and high mountains for a 
background. Like all places I saw in Santiago Province, Siboney looked 
prettiest at a distance, but even at a close range I saw much to interest and 
some things to admire. But the place was set on fire just after I arrived, and 
the whole blooming village quickly went up in smoke and flame." 

" Did you go into the interior beyond Siboney ? " 

" Oh, bless me, yes, indeed I did. I went some miles beyond. First I 
visited the hospitals just back of the village and then I pushed on a couple 
of miles. I got one of those queer little Cuban horses that had been living a 
long time on cacti and other delicacie- of the sort, and rode out to the field 
hospitals near the front. I visited a dozen or more and took many pictures. 
Here is one now, a snap shot of a poor fellow — one of the regulars — lying 
on an improvised cot. That fellow was shot through the thighs and may 
be dead now ; but look at the smile on his face. Just as I snapped for the 
picture he caught sight of me ; he was so weak he could not raise himself, or 
scarcely speak, but his face fairly beamed when he saw me. ' Sister has one 
of those kodaks,' he said to me afterward, ' and how much you remind me 
of her ! "' 

" What was your impression as to the hospitals ? Were they clean and 
well kept ? " 

General Sherman About Right. 

" The field hospitals, all that I visited, were in excellent condition. They 
were crowded, of course, but they w r ere clean, the nurses were attentive and 
gentle, and seemed to know just what to do and how and when to do it. This 
was particularly true of the Red Cross hospitals," 

c< Did you see any real fighting ? M 

"Weil, I saw some lively skirmishes and was near enough to the front 
and the firing line to hear the music of the Mausers and the crack of the 
rifles our boys carried. I was near enough to see some of the horrors of 
war, and to realize that doubtless General Sherman had it about right. I got 
just as near to the thick of the fight as the commanding officers would permit 
me to go." 

" Did you see our great hero, 'Teddy' Roosevelt?" 

"No. I missed that pleasure, but I did see many of his troopers, some 
of them dead and others wounded. And that reminds me, here is a picture 
I took of a Spaniard lying dead on the field. He was a sharpshooter, and 



508 



SKETCHES OF FAMOUS NURSES. 



from his perch in a mango tree, had been picking off some of Roosevelt's 
men. A big, burly negro cavalryman finally located the Spaniard, and brought 
him down, badly wounded. Without looking to see if he was dead or alive 
the enraged negro raised his rifle and battered the sharpshooter over the 
head until he was dead. There he is, just as he lay when I passed the place. 
You see I got an excellent picture of him. 

" Oh, yes, I saw funny things, too. I saw a Cuban sell a horse for half 
of a pineapple and a piece of tobacco. 

" I saw six-footers of the Michigan volunteers, who had fought Spaniards 
almost hand to hand, run like deer from undersized land-crabs. 

" I saw General Shafter — three hundred and some odd pounds — riding 
a diminutive Cuban horse." 

Cheerfulness the Key to Victory. 

" On the whole/' I asked, " what of the sights you saw made the strong- 
est impression upon your mind ? " 

Miss Reasoner thought perhaps ten seconds. 

" Two things," she said, " one quite as much as the other. First, the 
deplorable mismanagement of the transportation and commissary depart- 
ments, and, second, the wonderful cheerfulness of the soldiers amid great 
hardships and sufferings. I never saw such a body of splendid fellows, and 
have no idea I shall ever see their like again. Why, I saw young men in 
some of those field hospitals desperately wounded who were cracking jokes 
with one another. I met pale-faced men, hardly able to walk, making their 
way to the rear for treatment, whose only complaint was of their hard luck- 
in being hit so early in the fight. So far as I could judge, the mismanage- 
ment of the Santiago campaign on land was something awful ; the bravery 
and cheerfulness of the rank and file were something glorious." 

Miss Reasoner was unfortunate in leaving Cuba only forty-eight hours 
before the evacuation of Santiago. 



POETRY OF THE WAR 



The many dramatic incidents of the hundred days' war, were not only 
an inspiration to patriotism. They inspired poetry, much of it of a very 
high degree of excellence. Hardly a periodical in the country refrains from 
bursting into song, while every incident from the " Matanzas mule," up to the 
great achievements of Dewey, Hobson, Schley and our Brave Soldiers, had 
its poet-laureate. The following are typical illustrations of verses inspired 
by the War. 



REMEMBER THE MAINE. 

WHEN the vengeance wakes, when 
the battle breaks 
And the ships sweep out to sea : 
When the foe is neared, when the decks 
are cleared, 
And the colors floating free ; 
When the squadrons meet, when it's fleet 
to fleet ; 
And front to front with Spain ; 
From ship to ship, from lip to lip 
Pass on the quick refrain, 

" Remember, 
Remember the Maine." 

When the flag shall sign, " Advance in 
line, 

Train ships on an even keel;" 
When the guns shall flash and the shot 
shall crash, 
And bound on the ringing steel ; 
When the rattling blasts from the armored 
masts 

Are hurling their deadliest rain, 
Let their voices loud, through the blind- 
ing cloud, 
Cry ever the fierce refrain, 

" Remember, 
Remember the Maine ! ' ' 

God s sky and sea in that storm shall be 
Fate's chaos of smoke and flame, 

But across that hell every shot shall tell — 
Not a gun can miss its aim ; 



Not a blow will fail on the crumbling 
mail, 

And the waves that engulf the slain 
Shall sweep the decks of the blackened 
wrecks, 

With the thundering, dread refrain, 
" Remember, 
Remember the Maine !" 

Robert Burns Wilson. 

A TOAST TO COMMODORE DEWEY. 

At a dinner given to Commodore 
George Dewey at the Metropolitan Club, 
Washington, November 27, 1897, just 
before he started for the Asiatic Station, 
the following prophetic toast was offered, 
and received with enthusiasm. 

FILL all your glasses full to-night ; 
The wind is off the shore ; 
And be it feast or be it fight, 
We pledge the Commodore. 

Through days of storm, through days of 
calm, 

On broad Pacific seas, 
At anchor off the Isles of Palm, 
Or with the Japanese ; 

Ashore, afloat, on deck, below, 

Or where our bull dogs roar, 
To back a friend or breast a foe 

We pledge the Commodore. 

509 



510 POETRY OF 

We know our honor' 11 be unstained, 

Where'er his pennant flies; 
Our rights respected and maintained, 

Whatever power defies. 

And when he takes the homeward tack, 

Beneath an admiral's flag, 
We'll hail the day that brings him back, 

And have another jag. 

FOOLISH QUESTIONS. 

I SAW a sweet young mother with 
Her first born at her breast ; 
"And what's the baby's name?" I asked 

Of her so richly blessed. 
She looked at me with pity, as 

She proudly poised her head : — 
"We call him Dewey, sir, of course," 
In tender tones she said. 

I met a dainty little girl 

Who led a kitten by a string, 
And as I stroked her head I asked : — 

"What do you call the pretty thing?" 
She looked at me with wide blue. eyes, 

And, as she went her way, 
"I call my kitten Dewey, sir," 

I heard her sweetly say. 

I met a curly headed boy 

Who had a brindle pup ; 
"And what's you're doggy's name?" I 
asked, 

As I held the creature up. 
He gazed at me in wonder, and 

He proudly cocked his head : — 
" I call him Dewey, sir, of course !" 

He pityingly said. 

I stopped beside a rustic stile, 

And heard a milkmaid sing a song ; 
"And what's your bossy's name?" I 
asked 

The lassie, as she came along. 
She looked at me in mild surprise, 

And, as she strode away, 
" Why, Dewey is her name, of course !" 

I heard the maiden say. 



THE WAR. 

THE HERO OF MANILA. 

DEWEY ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 
Is the hero of the day. 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way — 
The way of Hull and Perry, 

Decatur and the rest — 
When old Europe felt the clutches 

Of the Eagle of the West ; 
That's how Dewey smashed the Spaniard 

In Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 
In the good, old-fashioned way. 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 

A Vermonter wins the day ! 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way. 
By one who cared not whether 

The wind was high or low 
As he stripped his ships for battle 

And sailed forth to find the foe. 
And he found the haughty Spaniard 

In Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way. 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 

He has met the Don's array, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way— 
A way of fire and carnage, 

But carnage let it be, 
When the forces of the tyrant 

Block the pathway of the free ! 
So the Spanish ships are missing 

From Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way ! 

Dewey ! Dewey ! Dewey ! 

Crown with victor wreaths of May ; 
For the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old-fashioned way; 
And flags that wave triumphant 

In far off tropic seas, 
With their code of symboled color 

Fling this message to the breeze : 
"We have routed all the Spaniards 

From Manila's crooked bay, 
And the Maine has been remembered 

In the good, old fashioned way." 



POETRY OF 

YANKEE DEWEY. 

YANKEE Dewey went to sea, 
Sailing on a cruiser, 
He took along for company, 
Of men and guns, a few, sir. 

Yankee Dewey ; Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! 

Dewey, you're a dandy; 
With men and guns and cruisers, too, 

You're certainly quite handy. 

He sailed away to the Philippines, 
With orders for to snatch them, 

And thrash the Spaniards right and left, 
Wherever he could catch them. 

And Yankee Dewey did it, too, 

He did it so complete, sir, 
That not a blooming ship is left, 

Of all that Spanish fleet, sir. 

Oh, Yankee Dewey, you're a peach, 

A noble, gallant tar, sir ; 
You're " out of sight,' ' you're out of reach, 

We hail you from afar, sir. 

We greet you with three rousing cheers, 
For you and your brave crews, sir ; 

For the deeds you've done and the vic- 
tory won, 
For Yankee Doodle Doo, sir. 

Yankee Dewey, keep it up, 

You certainly are handy, 
With men and guns and cruisers, too, 

Oh, Dewey, you're a dandy. 

O. H. Cole. 

HOBSON'S DARING DEED. 

INTO the blackness of tropical night, 
Over the dark swelling water that lay 
With death in its bosom and fear in its 
sight, 

While cannon belched down on the 

horrible way — 
Without tremor or sigh, 

O er the mine laden deep 
Where the shark's dark fin gleams 

'Twixt the rocks rising steep, 
Hobson sailed with his crew. 



THE WAR. 511 

Where guns' fiery tongues flashed piercing 
the wrack, 
Close followed Powell their perilous 
way, 

With eyes strained with love he looked 
out on the track, 
Perchance he may rescue and bear 
them away ! 
When the dark shattered hulk 

'Cross the channel has keeled, 
With the foe fast shut in 

And the great harbor sealed 
May they yet come back safe. 

Back ! there is only a flash in the gloom : 
The dim crown of fame death holds in 

his grasp — 
They won in that signal, a long thrilling 

boom, 

And over the water a silence has passed 
O'er the bomb's fiery crest 

Through the torrent of fires, 
For the flag that they loved 

And the home of their sires, 
They faced death with a smile. 

Deed that shall live while yet human 
hearts burn ; 
Say, shall the youth that so matchlessly 
strove, 

Back to our longing hearts ever return, 
To wear the bright leaves of the laurels 
we wove? 
Shall the flag that they love 
Yet wave o'er them again, 
With its blue, starry field, 

For the dark bars of Spain, 
And we greet them once more ? 

POBRE MULA ! 

GUNNERS, best on God's footstool 
Led by middy fresh from school, 
Aim a monster shooting tool 
At the heart of Spanish rule — 
Misrule. 

Spitting fire, but keeping cool, 
Reel off death like thread from spool ; 
Make each trench a bloody pool, 
Blanco cables, " Killed a mule." 
Dam Phool ! 

Joe Grismer. 



512 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE BALLAD OF '« TEDDY'S 
TERRORS." 

AS RELATED BY ROUND-UP RUBE, OF RAT- 
TLESNAKE GULCH. 

THERE wus a lovely regiment whose 
men wus strong and stout, 
Fer some, they had diplomas, and fer some 

wus warrants out, 
And Wood, he was their colonel bold, an' 

Teddy was his mate, 
And they called 'em " Teddy's Lamb- 
kins, ' ' fer their gentleness wus great. 

Now a good ole man named Shafter says 

to Teddy and to Wood : — 
" There's a joint called Santiago where we 

ain't well understood, — 
So, take yer lamb-like regiment, and if 

you are polite 
I think yer gentle little ways '11 set the 

matter right." 

So when Teddy's boys got movin' and the 

sun was on the fry, 
And the atmosphere was coaxin' them to 

lay right down and die, 
Some gents from Santiago who wus mad 

'cause they wus there, 
Lay down behind some bushes to put 

bullets through their hair. 

Now, Teddy's happy Sunday School wus 
movin' on its way 

A-seekin' in its peaceful style some Dagos 
fer to slay ; 

And the gents from Santiago, with aver- 
sion in their heart, 

Wus hidin' at the cross-roads fer to blow 
'em all apart. 

There's a Spanish comic paper that has 
give us sundry digs — 

A-callin' of us cowards an' dishonest Yan- 
kee pigs ; 

And I guess these folks had read it, and 
had thought 'twould be immense 

Jest to paralize them lambkins they wus 
runnin' up agains'. 

So when our boys had pretty near arrived 
where they wus at, 



And the time it was propitious fer to start 
that there combat, 

They let 'er fly a-thinkin' they would 
make a dreadful tear, 

An' then rubber-necked to see if any Yan- 
kees wus still there. 

Now you can well imagine wot a dreadful 
start they had 

To see 'em still a' standin' there and look- 
in' bold and bad, 

Fer when this gentle regiment had heard 
the bullets fly, 

They had a vi-lent hankerin' to make them 
Spaniards die. 

So Teddy, he came runnin' with his glasses 

on his nose, 
And when the Spanish saw his teeth you 

may believe they froze ; 
And Wood was there 'long with 'im, with 

his cheese-knife in his hand, 
While at their heels came yellin' all that 

peaceful, gentle band. 

They fought them bloody Spaniards at 

their own familiar game, 
And the gents from Santiago didn't like 

it quite the same — 
Fer you plug yer next door neighbor with 

a rifle ball or two 
An' he don't feel so robustous as whe.i 

he's a-pluggin' you. 

So when the shells wus hopping while the 
breech-blocks clicked and smoked, 

An' the powder wouldn't blow away until 
a feller choked, 

That regiment of Yankee pigs wus gunnin' 
through the bush, 

An' raisin' merry hell with that there San- 
tiago push. 

Then Teddy seen 'em runnin', and he 

gives a monstrous bawl, 
And grabbed a red-hot rifle where a guy 

had let it fall, 
And fixin' of his spectacles more firmly 

on his face, 
He started to assassinate them all around 

the place. 



POETRY OF 

So through the scrubby underbrush from 

bay'n't plant to tree, 
Where the thorns would rip a feller's pants, 

a shockin' sight to see, 
He led his boys a-dancin' on, a-shoutin' 

left and right, 
And not missin' many Spanish knobs that 

shoved 'emselves in sight. 

And when them Santiago gents wus fin- 
ished to their cost, 

Then Teddy's boys, they took a look and 
found that they wus lost, 

And as their crewel enemies was freed 
from earthly pain, 

They all sat down to wait fer friends to 
lead 'em back again. 

That's the tale of Teddy's terrors, and the 

valiant deed they done, 
But all tales, they should have morals, so 

o' course this tale has one. 
So paste this idea in yer cage, wotever else 

you do, 

Fer perhaps you'll thank me fer it yet 

before yer game is through : — 
The soldier-boy that wears the blue is 

gentle-like and meek, 
But I doubt he'll mind the Bible if you 

soak him on the cheek ; 
An' should you get him riled a bit, you 

want to have a care, 
Fer if he ever starts to fight he'll finish — 

Gawd knows where ! 

Stephen F. Whitman. 

THE ADMIRAL AND THE SPANISH 
MULE. 

FROM Matanzas fort came a sad report, 
' * The Yankees a mule have slain ! ' ' 
But in this they erred, his death was de- 
ferred. 

The mule, killed later, was Spain. 
Ten centuries long had this mule gone 
wrong 

For want of a good, big stick. 
At Manila John lambasted the Don. 
There the mule kicked his last kick ! 

Three cheers for " our John," 
The man who slew the Don. 
That Spanish mule we ne'er again shall see. 
33 



THE WAR. 513 

The antiquated roue 
Was " done to death " by Dewey ; 
Oh ! an admirable admiral is he ! 

Thus it came to pass when this Spanish ass 

Cried aloud in boastful pride, 
" I don't give a damn for your Uncle Sam !" 

And that's where the old mule died. 
No man, it is said, saw a donkey dead ; 

To mules this does not apply. 
Full of shot and shell one mule went to hell, 

And the whole world saw him die ! 

Three cheers for " our John !" 

The man who slew the Don. 
That Spanish mule we ne'er again shall see. 

The antiquated roue 

Was " done to death " by Dewey ; 
Oh ! an admirable admiral is he ! 

Stanislaus Stange. 

THE MERRIMAC'S CREW. 

HURRAH for the men of the Merrimac, 
Who steamed through the gate of 
hell, 

Who, knowing they never might hope to 
come back, 

Crept into the range of shot and shell, 
Each with a prayer upon his lips, 

And awaiting the shock he knew 
Must soon or late decide his fate — 

Hurrah for that gallant crew ! 

Honor the men of the Merrimac, 

Who placed their lives at stake — 
Who gave up all as their gaze fell back 

Along the vessel's wake — 
Who knew when they reached the channel 

That they never might journey through, 
Yet bore ahead where the death-line led — 

Hurrah for that noble crew ! 

Hurrah for the men of the Merrimac, 

Who were captured by the foe — 
Who, knowing they never might hope to 
get back, 

Went when they were told to go ! — 
Who placed their lives on the altar, 

As the martyrs were wont to do ! — 
A hero's crown, from the leader down, 

For each of the Merrimac' s crew ! 

S. E. Riser. 



514 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE MERRIMAC. 

THUNDER peal and roar and rattle of j 
the ships in line of battle, 
Rumbling noise of steel volcanoes hurl- 
ing metal from the shore, 
Drowned the sound of quiet speaking and 
the creaking, creaking, creaking 
Of the steering-gear that turned her 
toward the narrow harbor door. 

On the hulk was calm and quiet, deeper 
for the shoreward riot; 
Dumb they watched the fountains 
streaming; mute they heard the 
waters hiss, 
Till one laughed and murmured, " Surely j 
it was worth while rising early 
For a fireworks exhibition of such char- 
acter as this." 

Down the channel the propeller drove her 
as they tried to shell her 
From the dizzy heights of Morro and 
Socapa parapet ; 
She was torn and she was battered, and 
her upper works were shattered 
By the bursting of the missiles that in 
air above her met. 

Parallels of belching cannon marked the 
winding course she ran on, 
And they flashed through morning dark-, 
ness like a giant's flaming teeth; 
Waters steaming, boiling, churning ; rows 
of muzzles at each turning ; 
Mines like geysers spouting after and 
before her and beneath. 

Not a man was there who faltered ; not 
a theory was altered 
Of the detailed plan agreed on — not a 
doubt was there expressed ; 
This was not a time for changing, deviat- 
ing rearranging; 
Let the great God help the wounded, 
and their courage save the rest. 

And they won. But greater glory than 
the winning is the story 
Of the foeman's friendly greeting of 
that valiant captive band ; 



Speech of his they understood not, talk to 
him in words they could not ; 
But their courage spoke a language that 
all men might understand. 



WHEELER AT SANTIAGO. 

INTO the thick of the fight he went, pal- 
lid and sick and wan, 
Borne in an ambulauce to the front, a 

ghostly wisp of a man ; 
But the fighting soul of a fighting man, 

approved in the long ago, 
Went to the front in that ambulance, and 
the body of Fighting Joe. 

Out from the front they were coming back, 

smitten of Spanish shells — 
Wounded boys from the Vermont hills 

and the Alabama dells ; 
" Put them into this ambulance ; I'll ride 

to the front," he said, 
And he climbed to the saddle and rode 

right on, that little old ex-Confed. 

From end to end of the long blue rank? 

rose up the ringing cheers, 
And many a powder-blackened face was 

furrowed with sudden tears, 
As with flashing eyes and gleaming sword, 

and hair and beard of snow, 
Into the hell of shot and shell rode little 

old Fighting Joe ! 

Sick with fever and racked with pain, he 

could not stay away, 
For he heard the song of the yester-years 

in the deep-mouthed cannon's bay- 
He heard in the calling song of the guns 

there was work for him to do, 
Where his country's best blood splashed 

and flowed 'round the old Red, White 

and Blue. 

Fevered body and hero heart ! This 

Union's heart to you 
Beats out in love and reverence — and to 

each dear boy in blue 
Who stood or fell 'mid the shot and shell, 

and cheered in the face of the foe, 
As, wan and white, to the heart of the 

fight rode little old Fighting Joe ! 
James Lindsay Gordon. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



515 



IT'S SPANISH, QUITE SPANISH, 
YOU KNOW. 

THEY say at Matanzas they killed but 
a mule ; 

That's Spanish, you know, quite Span- 
ish, you know. 
To twist out of shape our old cherry tree 
rule ; 

That's Spanish, quite Spanish, you know. 
Brave Sampson began a most brisk can- 
nonade, 

And the guns were all fired by experts 
at the trade. 
Mr. Blanco reports, " One mule killed," 
undismayed ; 
That's Spanish, quite Spanish, you know. 

What queer things you say and what queer 
things you do, 
You Spanish, you know, you Spanish, 
you know. 

When you send home your cables why 
not have 'em true, 
In Spanish, good Spanish, you know. 

We nickname you " Dagos'' and you 
call us " Pigs 
It's Spanish, you know, it's Spanish, 
you know. 

You raise good bananas and raisins and 
figs, 

That's Spanish, quite Spanish, you 
know. 

But we beat you at shooting and never 
half try, 

And as for that mule storv, fie, Blanco, 
fie ! 

In your tongue " mentirosa," in ours a 
big lie, 

That's Spanish — and Yankee, you know. 

Phcebe Davies. 

EIGHT LONG MILES TO SIBONEY. 

IT'S eight long miles to Siboney — 
You've got to walk or lie ; 
For there's them that's wounded worse'n 
you 

In the carts that's jolting by — 
The carts that's jolting by — good Lord ! 

Packed full of battered men. 
And I guess their girls won't know them 

If they see them home again. 



It's eight long miles to Siboney — 
And the road ain't of the best. 

That's far enough, God knows, between 
A strong man and his rest ! 

But when you've fought through hell all 
day, 

And your wounds is stiff and sore, 
Why, you've had your fill of hardships, 
And you don't want any more. 

I We're human ammunition, 
| And we're spent like shot or shell — 
I But we're winning for the Government, 
1 And they'd ought to treat us well. 
! But maybe they get reckless, 

And they goes it kind of blind, 
For they knows there's plenty more like us 

That's pressing up behind. 

Oh, Uncle Sam ! we take your pay, 
And we'd better work than talk — 
| But it's eight long miles to Siboney, 
And wounded has to walk. 
You needn't spare us fighting, 
For we ain't afraid to die — 
But take care of those that's hurted now, 
And they'll serve you by and by. 

Caroline Duer. 

THE SOLDIER'S WIFE. 

HE offered himself for the land he loved, 
But what shall we say for her ? 
He gave to his country a soldier's life; 
'Twas dearer by far to the soldier's wife, 
All honor to-day to her ! 

He went to the war while his blood was hot, 
But what shall we say of her ? 
| He saw himself through the battle's flame 
A hero's reward on the scroll of fame; 
What honor is due to her ? 

He offered himself, but his wife did more, 

All honor to-day to her ! 
For dearer than life was the gift she gave 
In giving the life she would die to save; 

What honor is due to her? 

He gave up his life at his country's call, 

But what shall we say of her ? 
He offered himself as a sacrifice, 
But she is the one who pays the price 
All honor we owe to her. 

Elliott Flower, 



516 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THAT CUSS, CERVERA. 

UNCLE SAM SPEAKS. 

BY gum ! that blamed Cervera ! 
I wonder where he's at ; 
1 never hev' had anything 
Ter puzzle me like that ! 

Sometimes he's been ter Martinique, 

Sometimes to Curacao ; 
But just where that cuss is to-night 

Nobody seems ter know. 

Some say at Santiago 

He's fixin' up a plan ; 
Some say he's in the Wind'ard, 

And some the Yucatan. 

But east, er west, er any old place, 

At wind ard er at lee — 
Ef I can jest get at him — 

Is good enough for me ! 

I jest can't sleep fer thinkin' 

Of that Cervera cuss ; 
An' fust you know there'll be some folks 

A-pokin' fun at us. 

I've heard 'em hintin' now that we 
Don't know what we're about. 

By gum ! this Board of Strategy 
Is sorter petered out. 

It's mighty puzzlin' what to do 

On sech depressin' nights, 
With rumors flyin' everywhere 

Of these permisc'us fights. 

An' while I sit here thinkin', 

Cervera's standin' pat. 
By gum ! I'll send fer Dewey 

To find out where he's at ! 

UNCLE SAM TROUBLED. 

By gosh, but I'm plum disgusted 

With the way this thing hangs on ! 
For they say that our strategy's busted 

An' that cussed Cervera is gone. 
That he's pulled up and left Santiago 

Er mebbe not been there at all — ■ 
Dad blame that slippery dago, 

He'll keep us guessin' till fall ! 



Why, the boys was all braggin' they'd 
got him 

And was guardin' the hole where he'd 
hid; 

An' the papers explained how we caught 
him, 

An' the news came direct from Madrid. 
Consarn that Madrid, an' the fellers 

That send out them cables we get ! 
Of all the gosh-blamed story-tellers, 

Them chaps are the gosh-blamdest yet ! 

Fer we couldn't tell when he departed, 

Nor guess in what corner to seek. 
Why, we didn't know even he'd started 

Till he'd been in our midst fer a week. 
An' we didn't know then where he went to, 

An' we couldn't tell where he hed been, 
An' I recon t'll be Sacramento 

Where we'll hear from Cervera again. 

An' I can't do no fightin' for tryin' 

To capture that slippery cuss, 
An' the starvin' in Cuby a-dyin', 

An' the whole world a-laughin' at us. 
For our guns pretty soon' 11 be rusted 

An' the reconcentrados be gone — 
By gosh, but I'm plum disgusted 

With the way this thing hangs on ! 

UNCLE SAM SPEAKS AGAIN. 

By gosh, they say we've got the cuss 

In Santiago Bay, 
An' folks that's pokin' fun at us 

Ain't got a word to say. 
We thought we'd sorter petered out 

On strategy, an' then, 
By gosh, we jest ker-flopped about 

An' petered in again. 

I tell you that Cervera kep' 

Us guessin' right along. 
There's lots o' nights I hardly shp' 

Fer fear o' guessing wrong. 
A walkin' up an' down the floor, 

An' lookin' at the map, 
To find a spot on Cuby's shore 

Where we cu'd set the trap. 

I thought I'd send for Dewey nex', 

Last night, as like as not, 
Though Schley an' Sampson walked the 
decks 

An' kep' the water hot. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



517 



By gosh, that feller rattled me 

A dodgin' in an' out ; 
'Twas jest like hunting fer a flea, 

The way he skipped about. 

Wnen all at once I heard 'em shout, 

' • Cervera's caught at last ; 
He's cornered an' he can't get out ; 

We've got him hard an' fast ! " 
An' there he was, with all his boats, 

An' there, by gosh, he'll stay 
Until the starry banner floats 

In Santiago Bay. 

OUR SOLDIER'S SONG. 

" When the destruction of Cervera's 
fleet became known before Santiago the 
soldiers cheered wildly, and, with one 
accord, through miles of trenches, began 
singing 'The Star Spangled Banner.' " 

SINGING "The Star Spangled Ban- 
ner" 

In the very jaws of death ! 
Singing our glorious anthem, 

Some with their latest breath ! 
The strains of that solemn music 

Through the spirit will ever roll, 
Turilling with martial ardor 

The depths of each patriot soul. 

Hearing the hum of the bullets ! 

Eager to charge the foe ! 
Biding the call to battle, 

Where crimson heart streams flow ! 
Thinking of home and dear ones, 

Of mother, of child, of wife. 
Tivey sang " The Star Spangled Ban- 
ner" 

On that field of deadly strife. 

Th ly sang with the voices of heroes, 

In the face of the Spanish guns, 
As they leaned on their loaded rifles, 

With the courage that never runs. 
They sang to our glorious emblem, 

Upraised upon that war worn sod, 
As the saints in the old arena 

Sang a song of praise to God. 

David Graham Adee. 



THEY'LL NEVER GET HOME. 

UNCLE SAM, JUBILANT. 

BY gosh ! but we've got 'em — in old 
Santiago 

Cervery is bottled — the news is from 
Schley. 

I know'd mighty well we would get that 
there dago 
And cork him in tight, in the sweet by 
and by. 

Things looked purty bilious some days, 
I'll admit it, ' 
And clouds sorter hung round the Cap- 
itol dome 

Till Schley's message came, an' 'twas this 
way he writ it : — 
"I've got 'em" he says, "an' they'll 
never git home." 

By ginger ! it sounded like music fer 
sweetness ! 
I jest got right up an' give three rousin' 
cheers 

It had such neatness an' sorter complete- 
ness 

It seem' to fit into my hungerin' ears. 
I could jest shet my eyes an' see Schley's 
boats a-layin' 
Kinder peaceful out there where the 
blue billows foam ; 
I could listen a minute and hear him a 
say in' 

"I've got 'em, b' gosh! an' they'll 
never git home." 

Course the next thing, I s'pose, '11 be 
some sort 'o fighting, 
(That cussed Cervery won't give up a 
ship), 

An' he'll try to get out of the place he's 

so tight in. 
But the Commydore'll see he don't 

give us the slip. 
That Pole-dee-Barnaby gang made us 

weary, 

An' we got some disgusted with Seenyor 
De Lome, 

But I'm sorter attached to that feller Cer 
very, 

An' we've got him, 'b gosh ! an' he'll 
never git home. 



518 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE DISINTEGRATION OF A MULE. 

" Our fleet engaged the enemy in a 
brilliant combat. The battle is a brilliant 
page in Spanish history. The Spanish 
Minister of Marine said that it was diffi- 
cult for him to restrain his joyful emo- 
tions." — Spanish despatches. 

ALL hail the sailors brave and cool 
Of Dewey's bold flotilla; 
For Spain has lost another mule 
Away off in Manila. 

A piece of shell took off his tail, 
He grinned the shattered bomb at. 

" It is our fleet," he said, " that meet 
The foe in brilliant combat." 

A solid shot took off his ears; 

He smiled a smile of mystery, 
And said, " This will turn out a 

Brilliant page in Spanish history. ' ' 

His larboard legs were shot away, 
Yet still with smile sarcastic, 

"lam not mad, ' ' he said, ' ' or sad ; 
I'm just enthusiastic." 

Another shot ! What fragments those 
That littered up the bay so ? 

That mule so coy just died of joy — 
The Spanish papers says so. 

Harry B. Smith. 

THAT MATANZAS MULE. 

THE mule stood on Matanzas shore, 
And each true Yankee sailor 
Shrieked, " Make it hot with shell and 
shot, 

He looks like General Weyier." 

A gunner on the brave New York 
Said, " Now, by Spanish Sancho, 

All hands keep cool ; I think that mule 
Is Governor General Blanco." 

Quoth the Cincinnati's pilot, 
" That mule is Blanco's master ; 

I've been to Spain, and to me it's plain, 
He looks like old Sagasta. ' ' 



| The captain of the Puritan 

Said, "Boys, now make him vanish; 
I At sea all mules look alike to me, 

Especially when they're Spanish." 

A red hot shot went to the spot, 
Which made that mule go on so 

That he fell do wn and cracked his crown ^ 
As will later King Alfonso. 

Louis Harrison. ^ 



WHEN THE TROOPS MARCH BY. 

I'D like to be in Washington, beneath 
the splendid sky, 
When, with victorious banners, the troops 

come marching by ! 
I'd like to be in Washington and see Old 
Glory fly ! 

O'er the great and glittering legions when 
the troops march by ! 

I'd like to be in Washington that day ! 

I'd like to see 
The fellows that have worn the wounds in 

red for you and me ! 
| To see the old flag rippling like a rainbow 

round the sky, 
O'er the men of Santiago, when the troops 

march by ! 

I'd like to be in Washington when every 
legion comes ! 
I I know my heart would answ r er to the 
beating of the drums ! 
To see the men who faced the fray — who 
did not fear to die — 
i Oh, I'd like to join the chorus when the 
troops march by ! 

I'd like to be in Washington — I'd like to 

see the blades 
That were reddened for their country 

flash from the old brigades ! 
Though war may make us weary, though 

the green graves make us sigh, 
I'd like to shout, "God bless 'em!" 

when the troops march by ! 

Frank L. Stanton. 




519 



520 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE LESSON OF THE BARBED WIRE. 

THERE'S a lot of tangled wire back 
of Santiago town, 
Where the captured Dons may view it, 
as they curse their dreary fate ; 
It is twisted, it is jumbled, where the 

Yankees cut it down. 
' Because they didn't have the time to 
monkey with the gate, 

And those wires teach a lesson, as they 
lie, all tangled there; 
They should serve, too, as a warning 
unto Dons in future years, 
For he that knows the story ought to get 
it through his hair 
That you can't fence out starvation as 
you would a herd of steers. 



A MURMUR FROM MUDVILLE. 

THERE'S been thedingdest earthquake 
in what's called our social status; 
All the gals we called " our ownest " now 

they sca'cely will look at us ! 
We have plenty faith in beauty, but we 

have no place to pin it, 
For the gals make no concealment of the 
fact that we ain't in it 

Since them volunteers came home 
From 

Santiago ! 

Through the spring and through the sum- 
mer days, we sca'cely need to men- ! 
tion, 

We took these gals to picnics, and we 

showed 'em much attention ; 
And they cheerfully attended ev'ry dance 

held in their honor, 
But there's something seems to whisper to 
us each, "Oh ! you're a goner !" 
Since them volunteers came home 
From 

Santiago ! 

Of course we don't belittle all the yarns 

them lads are tellin', 
How they stormed the hills of Cuba with 

the Spaniards round them yellin' ; 



But what hurts us is to notice Sal and Jane 

and Sue and others 
All a-huggin' them, doggone it ! just the 
same as they were brothers 

Since them volunteers came home 
From 

Santiago ! 

Course, our motives they is honest, and 

you mustn't misconstrue 'em; 
Let them fighters have the glory, let them 

have all that is due 'em — 
But it does seem kind of meanish, and it 

makes our voices husky 
When we think the gals that loved us hard 
should throw us down McCluskev, 
Since them volunteers came home 
From 

Santiago ! 

CUBA'S LOST. 

THROUGH all war's clamor, loud and 
grim, 

Above the roar of guns at sea, 
Above the bells which chant the hymn 

Of strife to cease, of peace to be, 
I hear the martyred children moan; 

Poor innocents ! would they could know 
That every pang and every groan 

Brought near their tyrant's overthrow. 

Ninette M. Lowater. 

THE OREGON. 

TURN back thy prow, O Oregon, 
Toward thy Western home ; 
No foeman's ship will bar thy way, 

Or cross thy track of foam. 
By day, by night, like hounds in leash 

No more thy engines strain 
To reach the sepulchre where sleeps 
Thy sister ship, the Maine. 

Oh, nobly hast thou played thy part — 

Though half the world away, 
Like arrow to its mark ye sped, 

To join and win the fray. 
Go back, O Oregon, in peace; 

'Mid wondrous deeds, and bold, 
Thy rush of fourteen thousand miles 

Shall evermore be told. 

Ninette M. Lowater. 



POETRY OF 

McILRATH OF MALATE. 

Acting Sergeant J. A. Mcllrath, Bat- 
tery H, Third Artillery (Regulars); en- 
listed from New York; fifteen years' ser- 
vice. 

YES, yes, my boy, there's no mistake, 
You put the contract through ! 
You lads with Shaft er, I'll allow, 
Were heroes, tried and true; 

But don't forget the men who fought 

About Manila Bay, 
And don't forget brave Mcllrath 

Who died at Malate. 

There was an act to sing about — 

An eighteen-carat deed, 
To shine beside the sister gem 

Of Switzer Winkelried ! 

Yes, I was with him, saw him — well, 

You want to hear it all — 
It is a braver story than 

A mighty city's fall ! 

The night was black, save where the forks 

Of tropic lightning ran, 
When, with a long deep thunder-roar, 

The typhoon storm began. 

Then, suddenly above the din, 

We heard the steady bay 
Of volleys from the trenches where 

The Pennsylvanians lay. 

The Tenth, we thought, could hold their 
own 

Against the feigned attack, 
And, if the Spaniards dared advance, 
Would pay them doubly back 

But soon we mark'd the volleys sink 

Into a scatter'd fire — 
And, now we heard the Spanish gun 

Boom nigher yet and nigher! 

Then, like a ghost, a courier 
SeemeH past our picket toss'd 

With wild hair streaming in his face — 
" We're lost — we're lost — we're lost " 



THE WAR. 621 

" Front, front— in God's name — front! " 
he cried : 

" Our ammunition's gone ! " 
He turned a face of dazed dismay — 

And thro' the night sped on! 

*' Men, follow me! " cried Mcllrath, 

Our acting Sergeant then; 
And when he gave the word he knew 

He gave the word to men ! 

Twenty there — not one man more — 

But down the sunken road 
We dragged the guns of Battery H, 

Nor even stopped to load ! 

Sudden, from out the darkness poured 

A storm of Mauser hail — 
But not a man there thought to pause, 

Nor any man to quail ! 

Ahead, the Pennsylvanians' guns 

In scatter'd firing broke ; 
The Spanish trenches, red with flame, 

In fiercer volleys spoke ! 

Down with a rush our twenty came — 

The open field we pass'd — 
And in among the hard-press'd Tenth 

We set our feet at last ! 

Up, with a leap, sprang Mcllrath, 
Mud-spatter' d worn and wet, 

And, in an instant, there he stood 
High on the parapet! 

" Steady, boys! we've got 'em now — 

Only a minute late ! 
It's all right, lads — we've got 'em whipp'd. 

Just give 'em volleys straight! 

Then, up and down the parapet 

With head erect he went, 
As cool as when he sat with us 

Beside our evening tent ! " 

Not one of us, close shelter'd there 

Down in the trench's pen, 
But felt that he would rather die 

Than shame or grieve him then ! 

The fire, so close to being querch'd 

In panic and de r eat, 
Le^p'd forth, by rapid volleys sped, 

In one long deadly sheet! 



622 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A cheer went up along the line 
As breaks the thunder-call — 

But, as it rose, great God ! we saw 
Our gallant Sergeant fall ! 

He sank into our outstretch' d arms 

Dead — but immortal grown; 
And Glory brighten'd where he fell, 

And valor claim' d her own ! 

John Jerome Rooney. 

THE MISSING ONE. 

I DON'T think I'll go into town to see 
the boys come back; 
My bein' there would do no good in all 

that jam and pack; 
There'll be enough to welcome them — to 

cheer them when they come 
A-marchin' bravely to the time that's 

beat upon the drum — 
They'll never miss me in the crowd — not 

one of 'em will care 
If, when the cheers are ringin' loud, I'm 
not among them there. 

I went to see them march away — I hollered 

with the rest, 
And didn't they look fine, that day, | 

a-marchin' four abreast, 
With my boy James up near the front, as 

handsome as could be, 
And wavin' back a fond farewell to mother 

and to me ! 
I vow my old knees trimbled so, when 

they had all got by, 
I had to jist set down upon the curbstone 

there and cry. _ 

And now they're comin' home again ! 

The record that they won 
Was sich as shows we still have men, when 

men's work's to be done! 
There wasn't one of 'em that flinched, 

each feller stood the test — 
Wherever they were sent they sailed right 

in and done their best ! 
They didn't go away to play — theyknowed 

what was in store — 
But there's a grave somewhere to-day. 

down on the Cuban shore ! 



I guess that I'll not go to town to see the 

boys come in ; 
I don't jist feel like mixin' up in all that 

crush and din ! 
There'll be enough to welcome them — to 

cheer them when they come 
A-marchin' bravely to the time that's beat 

upon the drum, 
And the boys' 11 never notice — not a one 

of 'em will care, 
For the soldier that would miss me ain't 

a-goin' to be there ! 

S. E. Kiser. 

AH, SENOR! 

,r "piS singularly, wo fully grotesque, 
1 That tale of yours of the Matanzas 
mule ; 

Or else you are a dabster at burlesque, 
Or — no, 'tis fibbing of the playful 
school. 

Now, Blanco, 'tis a very feeble figure, 
Or else we fired our cannons with one 
trigger. 

Ah, Senor ! 

Why, bless my soul ! ' Tis past the sort 
of thing 

With which 'tis said marines are often 
sold. 

Now, surely the inflammatory sting 
Of some of our projectiles must have 
told. 

Well, Blanco, you're a feeble rhetorician, 
Or else extractum opium fired tactician. 
Ah, Senor ! 

Oh, yes, I see ! Your cipher sharp's mis- 
take. 

"Mule" signifies "one hundred dead 
and maimed." 
He read it literally. If a fake, 

Upon my life you ought to be ashamed, 
Now, Blanco ! But one mule and nary 
Spaniard 

Inspired to death by that brave Jacky's 
lanyard ? 

Oh, Senor! 

Clay M. Greene. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



523 



AN ALPHABET FOR WAR TIMES. 

A IS for Alger — a Michigan man — 
As perhaps you may guess if ap- 
pointments you scan. 

B is for Bryan, who's entered war's race 
To limber his sword arm and rest up his 
face. 

C's for Cervera, who nearly was slain 
To save jobs for a few politicians in Spain. 

D is for Dewey, whom Germans condemn 
Because he runs things to suit us and not 
them. 

E is for Evans, who'd like to reach Cadiz 
And help to make Spanish the language 
of hades. 

F is for Furor, torpedo-boat catcher ; 
What they thought was all right till 
Wain wright went to match her. 

G is for General Miles, I might mention, 
Whose bathtubs and schemes have at- 
tracted attention. 

H is for Hobson, whose "turn" you 
may know 

Was one of the hottest we've seen in this 
show. 

I is for Islands, all 'round the wide world, 
This nation will own ere her war flag is 
furled. 

J is for Jackies, who serve out the shell — 
That Spaniards on both sides the earth 
know so well. 

K is for Spain's little harmless young 
King 

Who'd best stay some years 'neath the 
motherly wing. 

L is for Long — naval head in this ruction, 
Who saved the New England old maids 
from abduction. 

M stands for McKinley. How great he 
has grown 

From the courage, forbearance and wis- 
dom he's shown. 



N is for Navy, the pride of the nation ; 
Manned by sailors we know for the best 
in creation. 

O stands for the shape of the Spanish 

don's mouth 
When he heard of the smash Dewey 

played in the South. 

P is for Patriots on Cuban soil, 
Who seem most unwilling when called on 
to toil. 

Q stands for Spain's Queen, who each 

night goes to bed 
Thanking God that she still has her 

crown and her head. 

R is for Roosevelt, a tireless chap, 
With a chip on his shoulder out hunting 
a scrap. 

S is for Sampson, aboard the New York, 
Who come just too late to help Schley 
pull the cork. 

T is for Tanner ( rather tough on the 
letter), 

The less that we say about this man the 
better. 

U is for Union, now firmer than ever, 
United with bonds that no bygones can 
sever. 

V stands for veterans of our past wars, 
But Volunteers, too, show their valor by 

scores. 

W is for Weyler, that butcher atrocious, 
Who keeps safe at home when he's talk- 
ing ferocious. 

Let X stand for dollars we'll get back 
from Spain 

When doughboys and jackies start home- 
ward again. 

Y is for Yellow Jack, which you may 

guess 

We've got to defeat or we'll get in a mes^. 

Z is for Zany, sometimes written " Don't ,' ' 
Who perhaps has had more than he first 
counted on. 

C. Beebe. 



524 POETRY OF 

THE YANKEE DUDE'LL DO. 

WHEN Cholly swung his golf stick on 
the links, 

Or knocked the tennis ball across the net, 
With his bangs done up in cunning little 
kinks — 

When he wore the tallest collar he 
could get, 
Oh, it was the fashion then 
To impale him on the pen — 
To regard him as a being made of putty 
through and through ; 
But his racquet's laid away, 
He is roughing it to-day, 
And heroically proving that the Yankee 
dude'll do. 

When Algy, as some knight of old ar- 
rayed, 

Was the leading figure at the " fawncy 
ball," 

We loathed him for the silly part he 
played ; 

He was set down as a monkey — that 
was all ! 
Oh, we looked upon him then 
As unfit to class with men, 
As one whose heart was putty and whose 
brains were made of glue — 
But he's thrown his cane away, 
And he grasps a gun, to-day, 
While the world beholds him, knowing 
that the Yankee dude'll do. 

When Clarence cruised about upon his 
yacht, 

Or drove out with his footman through 
the park, 

His mamma, it was generally thought, 
Ought to have him in her keeping after 
dark ! 

Oh, we ridiculed him then, 
We impaled him on the pen, 
We thought he was effeminate, we dubbed 
him " Sissy," too — 
But he nobly marched away — 
He is eating pork, to-day, 
And heroically proving that the Yankee 
dude'll do. 

How they hurled themselves against the 
angry foe, 



THE WAR. 

In the jungle and the trenches on the 
hill! 

When the word to charge was given, 
every dude was on the go — 
He was there to die, to capture or to 
kill! 

Oh, he struck his level, when 
Men were called upon again 
To preserve the ancient glory of the old 
red, white and blue ! 
He has thrown his spats away, 
He is wearing spurs to-day, 
And the world will please take notice 
that the Yankee dude'll do. 

S. E. Kiser. 

THE BRAVEST SAILOR OF ALL. 

I KNOW a naval officer, the bravest 
fighting man ; 
He wears a jaunty sailor suit, his cap says 

"Puritan." 
And all day long he sails a ship between 

our land and Spain, 
And he avenges, every hour, the martyrs 
of the " Maine." 

His warship is six inches square, a wash- 
tub serves for ocean ; 

But never yet, on any coast, was seen 
such dire commotion. 

With one skilled move his boat is sent 
from Cuba to midsea, 

And just as quickly back it comes to set 
Havana free. 

He fights with Dewey; plants his flag 

upon each island's shore, 
Then off with Sampson's fleet he goes to 

shed the Spanish gore. 
He comes to guard New England's coast, 

but ere his anchor falls, 
He hurries off in frightful speed, to shell 

Manila's walls 

The Philippines so frequently have yielded 
to his power, 

There's very little left of them, I'm cer- 
tain at this hour ; 

And when at last he falls asleep, it is to 
wake again 

And hasten into troubled seas and go and 
conquer Spam. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



525 



A PEACE'BUL FAMBLY MAN. 

OH, de sun shine hot in ev'y spot 
En de young co'n wavin' green } 
En de cotton needin' choppin' 

Des de wuss you ever seen ! 
En I ain't got time fer fightin', 

Kase de grass '11 take de lan' ; 
En de plow en hoe is all I know — 
I a peace' bul fambly man ! 

Go 'long wid dat musket ! 

I buil' on a diffunt plan; 
De craps mus' grow ; 
En de whole worl' know 

I a peace' bul fambly man. 

Oh, de sun shine hot in e'vy spot 

En de hot san' bu'n yo' feet ; 
En de co'n, he say : " Please plough dis 
way, 

Kase I pa'ch up wid de heat ! " 
En I ain't got time fer fightin', 

Kase de grass '11 make a stan', 
En de plow en hoe is all I know — 

I a peace' bul fambly man ! 

Go 'long wid dat musket ! 

I buil' on a diffunt plan ; 
De craps mus' grow, 
En de whole worl' know 

I a peace'bul fambly man ! 

MY SOLDIER BOY. 

WHEN night comes on, when morning 
breaks, they rise, 
Those earnest prayers by faithful lips 
oft said, 

And pierce the blue which shrouds the 

inner skies : 
" God guard my boy ; God grant he is 

not dead ! " 
1 ' My soldier boy — where is he camped 

to-night?" 
"God guard him waking, sleeping or in 

fight!" 

Far, far away where tropic suns cast down 
Their scorching rays, where suhry damp 
airs rise 

And haunting breath of sickness holds 
its own, 

A homesick boy, sore wounded, suffer- 
ing lies. 



" Mother! Mother!" is his ceaseless 
cry. 

" Come, mother, come, and see me ere I 
die!" 

Where is war's glory ? Ask the trumpet's 
blare, 

The marching columns run to bitter 
strife ; 

Ask of the raw recruit who knows as yet 
Naught of its horrors, naught of its loss 
of life ; 

Ask not the mother ; weeping for her son, 
She knows the heartaches following vic- 
tories won. 

CAMP CALLS. 

To the various camp bugle calls soldiers 
attach words that reflect this " soldiers' 
privilege ' ' of grumbling to the rhythm 
of the calls. The following are sample 
jingles : 

T CAN'T git 'em up! 
1 I can't git 'em up ! 
I can't git 'em up in the morning. 
I can't git 'em up, 
I can't git 'em up, 
I can't git 'em up at all ! 
The corporal's worse than the sergeant, 
The sergeant's worse than lieutenant, 
And the captain's the worst of all ! 

* * * 

Go to the stable, 

All ye that are able, 
And give your horses some corn. 

For if you don't do it, 

The captain will know it, 

And give you the devil 
As sure as you're born ! 

* * * 

Oh, where has that cook gone, 

Cook gone, 

Cook gone. 
Where has that cook gone ? 
Where the aitch is he-e-e ! 

Twenty years till dinner time, 

Dinner time, 

Dinner time, 
Twenty years till dinner time, 
So it seems to me-e-e ! 



526 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



Come and git your quinine, 
Quinine, quinine, quinine ! 
Come and git your quinine, 
And your pills ! 

* * * 

Soupy, soupy, soup — 
Without any beans ! 

An' coffee, coffee, coffee — 
The meanest ever seen ! 

THE RED, THE WHITE AND BLUE. 

WE are marching to the conflict 
With a courage born of power, 
And our hearts are all undaunted 

In the battle's darkest hour. 
Where the Philippines lie smiling 

In the bosom of the deep, 
Where upon Havana's fortress 

Spanish soldiers careless sleep : 
There shall ring our shout of triumph, 

There shall stand our brave and true, 
'Neath the starry flag of Freedom, 
'Neath the Red, the White and Blue. 

We are marching to the conflict, 

And we shall not go in vain, ' 
With the Cuban wrong to speed us 

And our well-remembered Maine. 
By her dead of slow starvation, 

By the pangs of child and wife, 
By a rule of devastation 

And a vain and cruel strife, 
Spain has forfeited our mercy, 

And her conduct she shall rue ; 
'Tis a valiant army gathers 

'Neath the Red, the White and Blue. 

We are marching to the conflict 

And shall soon the foeman meet ; 
But the banner floating o'er us 

Never yet has known defeat. 
Onward, then, across the waters 

That our land from theirs divide, 
Onward, then, till Yankee valor 

Tests its strength with Spanish pride ! 
Ere another month be ended 

There is noble work to do, 
And a glorious achievement 

'Neath the Red, the White and Blue. 

Lalia Mitchell. 



THE FLAG GOES BY. 

HATS off! 
Along the street there comes 
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 
A flash of color beneath the sky : 

Hats off ! 
The flag is passing by ! 
Blue and crimson and white it shines 
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines, 

Hats off! 
The colors before us fly ! 
But more than the flag is passing by, 
Sea-fights and land-fights grim and great, 
Fought to make and to save the state ; 
Cheers of victory on dying lips ; 
Weary marches and sinking ships; 
Days of plenty and years of peace 
March of a strong land's swift increase ; 
Equal justice, right and law, 
Stately honor and reverend awe ; 
Sign of a nation great and strong, 
To ward her people from foreign wrong ; 
Pride and glory and honor, all 
Live in the colors to stand or fall. 
Hats off! 

IRREPRESSIBLE. 

I AM the swiftest thing on earth ! 
I jump from continent to continent ! 

I leap 

Across the deep, 

From Occident to Orient ! 

I never rest, 

I never stop ! 

From east to west, 

From field to shop 

I swoop — 

Now with a whoop 

Of exultation, 

Now with a tinge of perturbation ! 
Day after day 

I retain my wonderful gait ! 

I never rest, I never stay — 

I am busier than Fate ! 

I am here and there, 

I am everywhere 

At the same time — 

In every land — in every clime — 
j I am always busy with a big R, 

And men quit eating to consider me — 
I I am the war Rumor. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 527 



A SONG OF THE FIGHT. 

OTHE glory and the story of the 
fight, 

The dashing of the war-steeds in the 
strife — 
The charge, and the retreat, 
And the flag the winding-sheet 

Of faces staring starward from the strife, 

Lost to life — 
And the wailing of the mother and the 
wife ! 

O the glory and the story of the fight ! 
The leaving for the battleground of 
Fate, 

With glory for the goal, 

Where the cannon-thunders roll, 

And kisses for the woman at the gate 

Who shall wait 
For the unreturning footsteps, long 
and late ! 

O the glory and the story of the fight ! 
Blow, bugles, o'er the flowering mea- 
dows — blow ! 
But when the fight is done — 
Wake ye each trampled one 

That sought to see the sun of glory glow ! 

Bugles blow ! 
But the dead beneath the drooped flags 
shall not know ! 

ARMY DIET. 

MY father say3 'at sojers is 
The braves' mens 'at ever was; 
'At when they hears the shots go " Whiz ! ' ' 

They don't mind it a bit, bekuz 
The whiz means 'at you ain't got hit, 
An' so they ist don't keer a bit. 

Pa says 'at sojers knows a lot, 

An' they can walk " ist like one man," 
An' aim so well 'at every shot 

Will hit a sneakin' Spaniard, an' 
He says they have to eat " hard tacks " 
An' carry " raccoons " on their backs. 

But when I ast him why they do 
He ist busts out a-laughin', nen 

He says, " You know a thing or two, 
My son! " an' laughs an' laughs again, 

An' says, " 'At's ist the very thing — 

The sojers eats the tax, 'i jing! " 



THE YOUNGEST BOY IN BLUE. 

When the Second Naval Battalion — 
better known, perhaps, as the Brooklyn 
Naval Reserve — occupied the old Thir- 
teenth regiment armory, at Flatbush ave- 
nue and Hanson place, the boys vied with 
each other in contributing books, pic- 
tures, flags and other things that helped to 
brighten the old company rooms and 
made them presentable when graced oc- 
casionally by the fair sex. 

Pinned on the bulletin board in the 
Third division room one night, among a 
lot of warlike orders, were found the fol- 
lowing unsigned verses : 




LD Uncle Sam has a fine, new boy, 
The youngest of all in blue ; 



He's the Naval Reserve, with lots of nerve, 

And plenty of courage, too. 
So give him a place in the family, lads, 

We've plenty for him to do. 

At sea he chaffs the sailor men, 
And joins in their daily work 
With all his might (though he'd rather 
%ht), 

For he never was built for a shirk. 
So sling his hammock up for'ard, lads, 
And teach him to use the dirk. 

On land he elbows and jostles about, 
Or marches all day in the sun, 

With a cheery smile for every mile, 
And a frolic when day is done; 

But when you get in a skirmish, men, 
He doesn't know how to run. 

Then fill your mugs to the young 'un, lads, 
Who mixes with every crew; 

On land or sea, wherever he be, 
We'll always find him true, 

And we'll give him a place in the family, 
lads, 

For there's plenty for him to do. 

OF A TRUTH. 

THEY say that Dewey is a dude." 
" Well, if the story's true, 
What glorious deeds, when duty calls, 
A Yankee dude'll do! " 



528 POETRY OF 

THE STAY-AT-HOME'S RESOLVE. 

I'M going to buy a sailor suit, with Texas 
on the cap, 
And I shall be set up for life, no matter 

what may hap; 
For it is quite the fashion now to take our 

men-of-war 
And give 'em gratis everything they choose 
to ask us for. 

They ride upon the cable-cars, and don't 

pay any fare; 
They ride upon the whirling "L" as 

freely as the air; 
They go into the theatres, and get the 

finest seats 
At just the same expense as when some 

other fellow treats. 

They hie them to the cooling coast, unto 

the big hotels, 
And get the best attention from the lowly 

and the swells; 
And when they ask the landlord for his 

bill, the fellow twirls 
And says, ''There's not a cent to pay; 

come out and kiss the girls ! ' ' 

I'm mighty glad that this is so: ''tis just 

as it should be. 
I rather wish, however, that these things 

would come to me, 
And, though I stayed at home while they 

plunged deep into the row, 
I'm going to buy a sailor suit, and try it 

anyhow. 

"ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO." 

THEY are shouting the praise of the 
captains, of admirals, commodores, 
too, 

Of colonels, lieutenants and majors ; with 
ensigns, cadets, not a few; 

For these there is fame, there is glory — a 
forest of laurels— but when 

Do they honor the dauntless "high pri- 
vate ? " I sing of arms and the men ! 

Of the picket that paces the outpost, a 
target for shot and for shell, 

Uncheered by the voice of a comrade, 
alone in the wild, tangled dell ; 



THE WAR. 

Of the sailor on deck in the twilight, who 
watches the bright evening ; tar 

And knows that it shines on his i hildren, 
beyond the horizon afar. 

Of the soldier that lies in the trenches, 
scorched and chilled by the sun and 
the rain, 

Before him the bellowing cannon, around 
him the wounded and slain ; 

With gaunt finger pointed toward him, 
rides 

Death on his pale horse astride, 
At his heels the dread serpent of fever, 
with hunger and thirst at his side. 

Of the gunner whose eye is so steady; of 
the coal-passer down in the hold; 

What they do — what they dare — what 
they suffer — oh ! sure not the half has 
been told ! 

And our Schley made his own fame the 
brighter, to shine through the centu- 
ries, when 

He cried as the city surrendered, "Let 
the officers cheer for the men ! ' ' 
Mrs. Skipwith H. Coale. 

THE LADIES OF OLD CADIZ. 

I'D like to go to Cadiz, 
Just to see those witching ladies, 
Those witching, witching ladies, where 

the orange blossoms blow; 
With their dainty cigarillas, 
And their quite too sweet mantillas — 
Oh, to Cadiz, with its ladies, I will go. 

And when our guns were booming, 

With a pity quite consuming 

I would say, "Oh, charming ladies, please 

to hustle now abroad. 
For, although we humble Cadiz, 
We don't war against the ladies, 
And the ladies of old Cadiz need not fear 

the Yankee sword." 

And with their cigarillas, 

And their all-too-cute mantillas, 

I would load up every cruiser with this 

fascinating crew; 
And so by easy stages 
I would bring these fair hostages, 
All these ladies of olJ Cadiz, far across 

the ocean blue, 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



529 



THE REG'LAR ARMY MAN. 

HE ain't no gold-laced " Belvidere," 
Ter sparkle in the sun ; 
He don't parade with gay cockade, 

And posies in his gun ; 
He ain't no " pretty soldier boy," 

So lovely, spick and span ; 
He wears a crust of tan and dust, 
The Reg'lar Army man ; 

The marchin', parchin', 
Pipe-clay starchin', 
Reg'lar Army man. 

He ain't at home in Sunday-school, 

Nor yet a social tea ; 
And on the day he gets his pay 

He's apt ter spend it free ; 
He ain't no temp' ranee advocate; 

He likes ter fill the can ; 
He's kinder rough an', maybe, tough, 

The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The rarin', tarin', 
Sometimes swearin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

No State' 11 call him " noble son ; " 

He ain't no ladies' pet, 
But let a row start anyhow, 

They'll send for him, you bet ! 
He don't cut any ice at all 

In fash'n's social plan ; 
He gits the job ter face a mob, 

The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The millin', drillin', 
Made for killin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

They ain't no tears shed over him 

"When he goes off ter war ; 
He gits no speech nor prayerful "preach" 

From Mayor or Governor ; 
He packs his little knapsack up 

And trots off in the van, 
Ter start the fight and start it right, 

The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The ratlin', battlin', 
Colt or Gatlin', 

Reg'lar Army man. 

He makes no fuss about the job, 

He don't talk big or brave, 
He knows he's in ter fight and win 

Or help fill up a grave ; 
34 



He ain't no "mamma's darlin'," but 

He does the best he can ; 
And he's the chap that wins the scrap, 
The Reg'lar Army man ; 
The dandy, handy, 
Cool and sandy, 
Reg'lar Army man. 

Joe Lincoln. 

HOW A SOLDIER IS MADE. 

A CHILD is born — it gasps and cries, 
And clasps its wee fists to its eyes ; 
It stares at those who stand around, 

And sleeps a stranger unto care, 
While she that smiles o'er joys newfound, 
Prays for him ere 
He needs her prayer. 

A hundred childish ills he worries through, 
A thousand times his life hangs by a 
thread ; 

He falls, when there is nothing else to do, 
From some high perch, and strikes 
upon his head ! 
Ah, who shall say God keeps him not in 
sight ? 

Nor hears the prayers she offers up at 
night. 

Behold him bending o'er his book: 
Think of the patience and the care, 

The planning and the toil it took 
To place him there ! 

Toil and hope and despair, 

Grieving and doubting and joy; 
Days that were dark and days that were 
fair 

For those who love the boy ; 
Years that have wearily dragged, 

Years that have joyously passed, 
Hopes that have flown and griefs that 
have lagged — 

To make him a man at last. 

Hark to the summons that comes ! 
Hear the merciless roll of the drums ! 

The man for whom plans were made 

He for whom schemes were laid, 
Must brush them aside, for somewhere 

Somebody has wronged some one — 
Let the banner wave high in the air, 

There is soul-stirring work to be done ! 



530 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



Down through the valley and over the 
slope, 

A regiment sweeps to the fray ! 
What of the prayers, the toil the hope, 
And the lofty plans of yesterday ? 
An angry shot, 
A crimson clot, 
And the smiles and tears 
Of twenty years 

End in a lump of lifeless clay. 

S. E, Kiser. 

THAT STARRY FLAG OF OURS. 

UNFURL the" starry banner, 
Till with loving eyes we view 
The stars and stripes we honor 
And the folds of azure blue. 
'Tis the pride of all our nation 

And the emblem of its powers — 
The gem of all creation 

Is that starry flag of ours. 
Then raise aloft ' Old Glory," 

And its colors bright surround, 
In battle fierce and gory, 

Or in peace with honor bound. 
Let it float from spire and steeple, 

And from house-tops, masts and towers, 
For the banner of the people 

Is that starry flag of ours. 
Now, behold it, bright and peerless, 

In the light of freedom's sky; 
See its colors floating, fearless 

As the eagle soaring high. 
And amid the cannon's rattle 

And the bullets' deadly showers, 
Ten million men will battle 
For that starry flag -of ours. 

THE BRIDES OF DEATH. 

THERE'S a cleft in the darkling sea 
coast wall 

That hides the town like a sheltering 
pall, 

And the Morro looks down from the 

precipice crest 
At the sheltered ships on the harbor's 

breast — 

At the anchored ships that idly swing, 
Flying the flag of the Spanish king. 



I " Nail to the mast the yellow and red," 
The grave old Spanish Admiral said : 

j And the lovely Infanta led the line, 
And the bridesmaids followed her through 

the brine — 
Followed her out of the harbor mouth 
To the fatal tryst in the open south. 

Never a bride went down the hall, 
In the maze of the dance of her marriage 
ball, 

With so fine a grace or an air so free 
As the Spanish ships stood out to sea ; 
And never the brides of God took veil, 
In the darksome depth of the convent's 
pale, 

With so lofty a mien of sacrifice 
As they bided the fling of the battle's 
dice. 

Their splendrous standards streamed on 
high 

'Gainst the turquoise blue of the tropic 
sky; 

Their polished brass work flashes flung, 
Like lustrous jewels around them strung ; 
And their bows were veiled in the flimsy 
lace 

Of the spray comb tossed by the charging 
pace. 

But, ah ! what terrible guests are these, 
Fast gliding in from the outer seas, 
Gliding along in drapery black 
That fumes and pours from the high 

smokestack? 
And, ah ! what thund'rous chimes that 

greet 

The stately advance of the bridal fleet ? 
But is this the peal of the wedding bell — 
This roaring voice like the voice of hell ? 

'Tis the wrathsome cry of the pitiless 
Fates — 

The voice is the voice of the sister States, 
Of the sister States of the slaughtered 
Maine, 

Crying aloud for the blood of Spain — 

Battle ship, cruiser, torpedo boat, 

That rush like dogs at the Spanish throat. 

Alas for the brides in yellow and red 
That out of the harbor so lightly sped, 



POETRY OF 

That reel and faint in the fearful dance 
'Mid the choke of the smoke where the 

lightnings glance, 
While ever mingles the thunder's roar 
With the boom of the surf on the nearing 

shore. 

They were six that steamed to the open 
sea — 

The brides and the maids so swift and 
free — 

And six are the corpses that line the 
strand, 

Prone in the pools of the tide left sand ; 
And the gathering vultures circle high 
O'er the stiffened limb and the death 
closed eye. 

THE WAR SHIP DIXIE. 

THEY'VE named a cruiser " Dixie" — 
that's what the papers say — 
An' I hears they're goin' to man her with 

the boys that wore the gray ; 
Good news ! It sorter thrills me and 

makes me want ter be 
Whar' the ban' is playin' " Dixie," and 
the " Dixie " puts ter sea ! 

They've named a cruiser " Dixie." An' 

fellers, I'll be boun' 
You're goin' ter see some fightin' when 

the "Dixie" swings aroun' ! 
Ef any o' them Spanish ships shall strike 

her, East or West, 
Just let the ban' play "Dixie," an' the 

boys '11 do the rest ! 

I want ter see that " Dixie " — I want ter 

take my stan' 
On the deck of her and holler, "Three 

cheers fer Dixie lan' ! " 
She means we're all united — the war hurts 

healed away. 
An' "Way Down South in Dixie" is 

national to-day ! 

I bet you she's a good un ! I'll stake my 

last red cent 
Thar ain't no better timber in the whole 

blame settlement ! 



THE WAR. 531 

An' all their shiny battle ships beside that 

ship are tame, 
Fer when it comes to "Dixie" thar's 

something in a name ! 

Here's three cheers and a tiger — as hearty 
as kin be ; 

An' let the ban' play " Dixie " when the 

" Dixie " puts ter sea ! 
She'll make her way an' win the day from 

shinin' East ter West — 
Jest let the ban' play " Dixie," and the 

boys '11 do the rest ! 

Frank L. Stanton. 

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. 

SAY, Aguinaldo, 
You little measly 
Malay moke, 

What's the matter with you? 
Don't you know enough 
To know 

That when you don't see 

Freedom, 

Inalienable rights, 

The American Eagle, 

The Fourth of July. 

The Star Spangled Banner, 

And the Palladium of your Liberties, 

All you've got to do is to ask for them? 

Are you a natural born chump 

Or did you catch it from the Spaniards ? 

You ain't bigger 

Than a piece of soap 

After a day's washing, 

But, by gravy, you 

Seem to think 

You're a bigger man 

Than Uncle Sam. 

You ought to be shrunk 

Young fellow; 

And if you don't 

Demalayize yourself 

At an early date, 

And catch on 

To your golden glorious opportunities, 
Something's going to happen to you 
Like a Himalaya 
Sitting down kerswot 
On a gnat. 
If you ain't 



532 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



A yellow dog 

You'll take in your sign 

ind scatter 

Some Red, White and Blue 

Disinfectant 

Over yourself. 

What you need, Aggie, 

Is civilizing. 

And goldarn 

Your yaller percoon-skin, 

We'll civilize you 

Dead or alive. 

You'd better 

Fall into the 

Procession of Progress 

And go marching on to glory, 

Before you fall 

Into a hole in the ground. 

Understand? 

That's us — 

U. S. 

ADMIRAL VON DIEDERICHS. 

ACH, Admiral von Diederichs, 
I van to sbeak mit you ; 
Yust lisden fer a leedle und 

I'll tell you vot to do ; 
Sail from dem Philypeanuts isles 

A thousand miles aboud — 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 
Uf 

you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 

Der Kaiser was a peach, 
I'm villing to atmit id, bud 

Dare's udders on der beach. 
So, darefore, dot's der reason vy, 

Doan'd led your head get stoud, 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 

Uf 

you 

doan'd 

vatch 

o:!d! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 
Vot pitzness haf ; ou ^ot 



In loafing py Manila ven 
Der heat-vaves are so hot ? 

Vy doan'd you yust oxcoos yourself 
Und durn your shibs aboud — 

Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 
Uf 

you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 

Ach, Admiral von Diederichs, 

Vy vill you be a clams ? 
Go ged some udder islands vich 

Are not old Uncle Sam's, 
Yust wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm, yet, 

Und dell him dare's no douid, 
Fer dot Dewey man vill got you 

Uf 

you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid ! 
G. V. Hobart. 

THE ARMY'S NIGHT=GUARD. 

THE soldiers lie peacefully dreaming, 
Their tents in the rays of the clear 
Autumn moon, 
Or the light of the watch fires are 
gleaming, 

A tremulous sigh as the gentle night wind 
Thro' the forest leaves slowly is creep- 
ing, 

While the stars up above with their glit- 
tering eyes, 
Keep guard, for the army is sleeping. 

NO ANIMOSITY. 

" Q AID the Sergeant to the Don, 

After scrapping at San Juan: — 

1 You're a soldier and a brother, 
Let us shake with one another; 

Here's my hardtack, take a gnaw.' 

Said the Jacky to the Dago 
Whom he licked at Santiago: — 

' We plunked you and we sunk you, 
Now we'll feed and clothe and bunk 

you ; 

Here's my baccy, take a chaw.' " 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



533 



AFTER THE BATTLE. 

""TjRAVE captain! canst thou speak? 

W hat is it thou dost see ! 

A wondrous glory lingers on thy face, 
The night is past ; I've watched the night 
with thee. 

Knowest thou the place? " 

" The place? 'Tis San Juan, comrade. 
Is the battle over? 
The victory — the victory — is it won? 
My wound is mortal; I know I cannot 
recover — 

The battle for me is done ! 

" I never thought it would come to this ! 

Does it rain ? 
The musketry! Give me a drink; ah, 

that is glorious ! 
Now if it were not for this pain — this 

pain — 

Didst thou say victorious ? 

" It would not be strange, would it, if I 
do wander? 
A man can't remember with a bullet 
in his brain. 
I wish when at home I had been a little 
fonder — 

Shall I ever be well again ? 

" It can make no difference whether I go 
from here or there. 
Thou' It write to father and tell him 
when I am dead ? — 
The eye that sees the sparrow fall numbers 
every hair 

Even of this poor head. 

" Tarry awhile, comrade, the battle can 
wait for thee ; 

1 will try to keep thee but a few brief 
moments longer; 

Thou' It say good-by to the friends at 
home for me ? — 

If only I were a little stronger ! 

" I must not think of it. Thou art sorry 
for me ? 

The glory — is it the glory? — makes me 
blind; 



Strange, for the light, comrade, the light 
I cannot see — 

Thou hast been very kind ! 

" I do not think I have done so very 
much evil — 
I did not mean it. ' I lay me down to 
sleep, 

I pray the Lord my soul ' — just a little 
rude and uncivil — 

Comrade, why dost thou weep ? 

"Oh! if human pity is so gentle and 
tender — 

Good-night, good friends ! ' I lay me 
down to sleep ' — 
Who from a Heavenly Father's love needs 
a defender ? 

' My soul to keep ! ' 

" ' If I should die before I wake ' — com- 
rade, tell mother, 
Remember — ' I pray the Lord my soul 
to take ! ' 

My musket thou' It carry back to my little 
brother 

For my dear sake ! 

"Attention, company! Reverse arms! 
Very well, men; my thanks. 
Where am 1 ? Do I wander, comrade — 
wander again ? — 
Parade is over. Company E, break ranks ! 
break ranks ! — 

I know it is the pain. 

"Give me thy strong hand; fain would 
I cling, comrade, to thee; 
I feel a chill air blown from a far-off 
shore; 

My sight revives; Death stands and looks 
at me. 

What waits he for ? 

"Keep back my ebbing pulse till I be 
bolder grown ; 
I would know something of the Silent 
Land ; 

It's hard to struggle to the front alone — 
Comrade, thy hand. 



534 POETRY OF 

" The reveille calls ! be strong my soul, 
and peaceful; 
The Eternal City bursts upon my sight ! 
The ringing air with ravishing melody is 
full — 

I've won the fight! 

" Nay, comrade, let me go; hold not my 
hand so steadfast ; 
I am commissioned — under marching 
orders — 

I know the Future — let the Past be past — 
I cross the borders." 

THE ROLL CALL. 

CORPORAL GREEN ! " the orderly 
cried ; 

"Here!" was the answer, loud and 
clear, 

From the lips of a soldier who stood 
near, 

And ' 1 Here ! ' ' was the word the next 
replied. 

" Cyrus Drew ! " — then a silence fell — 
This time no answer followed the call; 
Only his rear man had seen him fall, 

Killed or wounded he could not -tell. 

There they stood in the failing light, 
These men of battle, with grave, dark 
looks, 

As plain to be read as open books, 
While slowly gathered the shades of night. 

The fern on the hill-side was splashed 
with blood, 
And down in the corn where the pop- 
pies grew, 
Were redder stains than the poppies 
knew ; 

And crimson-dyed was the river's flood. 

For the foe had crossed from the other 
side, 

That day in the face of a murderous fire, 
That swept them down in its terrible ire ; 
And their life-blood went to color the tide. 

"Herbert Kline!" At the call, there 
came 

Two stalwart soldiers into the line, 



THE WAR. 

Bearing between them this Herbert 
Kline, 

Wounded and bleeding, to answer his 
name. 

"Ezra Kerr!" — and a voice answered 
"Here! " 

" Hiram Kerr! " — but no man replied. 

They were brothers, these two, the sad 
wind sighed, 
And a shudder crept through the corn- 
field near. 

"Ephraim Deane ! " — then a soldier 
spoke; 

"Deane carried our Regiment's colors," 

he said ; 

"Where our Ensign was shot, I left 
him dead, 

Just after the enemy wavered and broke. 

" Close to the roadside his body lies. 
I paused a moment and gave him a 
drink. 

He murmured his mother's name I think, 
And death came with it and closed his 
eyes." 

'Twas a victory ; yes, but it cost us dear — 
For that company's roll, when called 
at night, 

Of a hundred men who went into the 
nght 

The number was few that answered 
"Here! " 

A SOLDIER'S LIFE. 

A soldier's life has seen of strife, 
In all its forms, so much, 
That no gentler theme the world will deem, 

A soldier's heart can touch. 
In peace or war, in hall or bow'r, 

His heart is still the same, 
And on the wings of fame will soar, 
The daring soldier's name. 

But yet the soldier's heart doth feel, 

When comrades round him fall; 
And tho' with foes he fights with steel, 

As friends he smiles on all. 
In peace or war, in hall or bow'r, 

His heart is still the same, 
And on the wings of fame will soar, 

The daring soldier's name. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 535 



THE CAVALRY CHARGE. 

WITH bray of the trumpet 
And roll of the drum, 
And keen ring of bugles, 

The cavalry come. 
Sharp clank the steel scabbards, 

The bridle-chains ring, 
And foam from red nostrils 
The wild chargers fling. 

Tramp ! tramp ! o'er the green sward 

That quivers below, 
Scarce held by the curb-bit, 

The fierce horses go ! 
And the grim-visaged colonel, 

With ear-rending shout, 
Peals forth to the squadrons, 

The order -"Trot out." 

One hand on the sabre, 

And one on the rein, 
The troopers move forward 

In line on the plain. 
As rings the word " Gallop! " 

The steel scabbards clank, 
And each rowel is pressed 

To a horse's hot flank; 
And swift is their rush 

As the wild torrent's flow, 
When it pours from the crag 

On the valley below. 

" Charge ! " thunders the leader. 

Like shaft from the bow 
Each mad horse is hurled 

On the wavering foe. 
A thousand bright sabres 

Are gleaming in air; 
A thousand dark horses 

Are dashed on the square. 

Resistless and reckless 

Of aught may betide, 
Like demons, not mortals, 

The wild troopers ride. 
Cut right ! and cut left ! 

For the parry who needs ? 
The bayonets shiver 

Like wind-shattered reeds ! 

Vain — vain the red volley 
That bursts from the square — 



The random-shot bullets 

Are wasted in air. 
Triumphant, remorseless, 

Unerring as death, — 
No sabre that's stainless 

Returns to its sheath. 

The wounds that are dealt 

By that murderous steel 
Will never yield case 

For the surgeons to heal. 
Hurrah ! they are broken — 

Hurrah! boys, they fly — 
None linger save those 

Who but linger to die. 

Rein up your hot horses, 

And call in your men ; 
The trumpet sounds "Rally 

To color " again. 
Some saddles are empty, 

Some comrades are slain, 
And some noble horses 

Lie stark on the plain ; 
But war's a chance game, boys, 

And weeping is vain. 

THE REGIMENT'S RETURN. 

HE is coming, he is coming, my true- 
love comes home to-day ; 
All the city throngs to meet him as he 

lingers by the way. 
He is coming from the battle, with his 

knapsack and his gun — 
He, a hundred times my darling, for the 
dangers he hath run. 

Twice they said that he was dead, but I 
would not believe the lie ; 

While my faithful heart kept loving him I 
knew he could not die. 

All in white will I array me, with a rose- 
bud in my hair, 

And his ring upon my finger — he shall 
see it shining there. 

He will kiss me, he will kiss me with the 

kiss of long ago ; 
He will fold his arms around me close, 

and I shall cry, I know. 
Oh the years that I have waited — rather 

lives they seemed to be — 



536 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



For the dawning of the happy day that 

brings him back to me. 
But the worthy cause has triumphed. Oh, 

joy ! the war is over. 
He is coming, he is coming, my gallant 

soldier lover. 

Men are shouting all around me, women 
weep and laugh for joy, 

Wives behold again their husbands, and 
the mother clasps her boy ; 

All the city throbs with passion; 'tis a 
day of jubilee ; 

But the happiness of thousands brings not 
happiness to me ; 

I remember, I remember, when the sold- 
iers went away, 

There was one among the noblest who 
has not returned to-day. 

Oh, I loved him, how I loved him, and I 

never can forget 
That he kissed me as we parted, for the 

kiss is burning yet ! 
'Tis his picture in my bosom, where his 

head will never lie; 
'Tis his ring upon my finger — I will wear 

it till I die. 
Oh, his comrades say that dying 'he looked 

up and breathed my name ; 
They have come to those that loved them, 

but my darling never came. 
Oh, they said he died a hero — but I knew 

how that would be; 
And they say the cause has triumphed — 

will that bring him back to me ? 

E. J. Cutler. 

I WANT TO GO HOME. 

I WANT to go home wailed the privit, 
The sarg'ent an' corpril the same, 
Fer I'm sick of the camp an' the drillin' 

The grub an' the rest of the game; 
I'm willin' to do all the fightin' 

They'll give me in any old way, 
But me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home, 

An' I want to go home to-day. 

Fer I've marched 'till me throat was a 
crackin', 

'Till crazed fer the sake of a drink; 



I've drilled 'till me back was a breakin', 
An' I haven't had gumption to think; 

An' I've done my whole share of policin' 
An' guard; an' I'm tired of me lay, 

Fer me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home, 

An' I want to go home to-day. 

Do they need us, a dyin' in camp life ? 

They say it's the water and such; 
We think it's more likely we're homesick, 

But the life of a privit ain't much. 
An' they know we can fight if we have to, 

An' they won't have to show us the 
way, 

But me girl's all alone an' I want to go 
home, 

An' I want to go home to-day. 

THE FALLEN HERO. 

HE went to the war in the morning — 
The roll of the drums could be 
heard. 

But he paused at the gate with his mother 
For a kiss and a comforting word. 

He was full of the dreams and ambitions 
That youth is so ready to weave, 

And proud of the clank of his sabre 
And the chevrons of gold on his sleeve. 

He came from the war in the evening — 

The meadows were sprinkled with snow, 
The drums and the bugles were silent, 

And the steps of the soldier were slow. 
He was wrapped in the flag of his country 

When they laid him away in the mould, 
With the glittering stars of a captain 

Replacing the chevrons of gold. 

With the heroes who slept on the hillside 
He lies with a flag at his head, 

But, blind with the years of her weeping, 
His mother yet mourns for her dead. 

The soldiers who fall in the battle 
May feel but a moment of pain, 

But the women who wait in the home- 
steads 

Must dwell with the ghosts of the slain. 

Minna Irving. 



POETRY OF 

THE WOUNDED SOLDIER. 

STEADY, boys, steady! Keep your 
arms ready, 
God only knows whom we may meet here. 
Don't let me be taken; I'd rather awaken 
To-morrow, in — no matter where, 
Than to lie in that foul prison-hole, over 
there. 

Step slowly! Speak lowly! The rocks 

may have life ! 
Lay me down in the hollow; we are out 

of the strife. 
By heaven ! the foeman may track me in 

blood, 

For this hole in my breast is outpouring 
a flood. 

No! No surgeon for me; he can give 

me no aid ; 
The surgeon I want is a pick-axe and 

spade, 

What, Morris, a tear? Why, shame on 
you, man ! 

I thought you a hero ; but since you began 
To whimper and cry, like a girl in her 
teens, 

By George! I don't know what the devil 
it means. 

Well ! well ! I am rough, 'tis a very rough 
school, 

This li fe of a trooper — but y et I' m n o fool ! 
I know a brave man, and a friend from a 
foe; 

And, boys, that you love me I certainly 
know, 

But wasn't it grand, 
When they came down the hill over 

sloughing and sand? 
But we stood — did we not ?— like immov- 
able rock, 

Unheeding their balls and repelling their 
shock. 

Did you mind the loud cry, when, as turn- 
ing to flv, 

Our men sprang upon them, determined 
to die? 

Oh, wasn't it grand? 
God help the poor wretches who fell in 
the fight ; 

No time was there given for prayers or 
for flight. 



THE WAR. 537 

They fell by the score, in the crash, hand 
to hand, 

And they mingled their blood with the 
sloughing and sand. 

Great heavens ! This bullet-hole gaps like 
a grave ; 

A curse on the aim of the treacherous 
knave ! 

Is there never a one of you knows how to 
pray, 

Or speak for a man as his life ebbs away ? 

Pray ! Pray ! 
Our Father! Our Father! — why don't 

you proceed ? 
Can't you see 1 am dying? Great God, 

how I bleed ! 
Our Father in heaven — boys, tell me the 

rest, 

While I stanch the hot blood from the 

hole in my breast. 
There's something about the forgiveness 

of sin; 

Put that in! put that in! — and then 

I'll follow your words and say an "Amen." 

Here, Morris, old fellow, get hold of my 
hand, 

And Wilson, my comrade — oh ! wasn't it 
grand 

When they came down the hill like a 

thunder-charged cloud, 
And were scattered like mist by our brave 

little crowd? — 
Where s Wilson, my comrade ? Here 

stoop down your head, 
Can't you say a short prayer for the dying 

and dead ? 

"Christ-God, who died for sinners all, 
Hear Thou this suppliant wanderer's 
cry ; 

Let not e'en this poor sparrow fall 
Unheeded by Thy gracious eye ; 

Throw wide Thy gates to let him in, 
And take him, pleading, to Thine 
arms ; 

Forgive, O Lord, his lifelong sin, 
And quiet all his fierce alarms," 

God bless you, my comrade, for singing 
that hymn, 



538 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



It is light to my path, now my sight has 
grown dim. 

I am dying ! Bend down, till I touch 
you once more ; 

Don't forget me, old fellow — God pros- 
per this war ! 

Confusion to enemies ! — keep hold of my 
hand — 

And float our dear flag o'er a prosperous 
land! J. W. Watson. 

THE CAPTAIN'S WIFE. 

WE gathered roses, Blanche and I, for 
little Madge one morning; 
"Like every soldier's wife," said Blanche, 

"I dread a soldier's fate" 
Her voice a little trembled then, as under 

some forewarning 
A soldier galloped up the lane, and halted 
at the gate. 

"Which house is Malcolm Blake's?" he 
cried; "a letter for his sister!" 

And when I thanked him, Blanche in- 
quired, "But none for me, his wife?" 

The soldier played with Madge's curls, 
and stooping over, kissed her:- 

"Your father was my captain, child ! — I 
loved him as my life!" 

Then suddenly he galloped off and left 

the rest unspoken. 
I burst the seal, and Blanche exclaimed, 

"What makes you tremble so?" 
What answer did I dare to speak? How 

ought the news be broken? 
I could not shield her from the stroke, 

yet tried to ease the_ blow. 

"A battle in the swamps," I said; "our 

men were brave, but lost it." 
And pausing there, — ' The note," I said, 

"is not in Malcolm's hand." 
At first a flush flamed through her face, 

and then a shadow crossed it. 
"Read quick, dear May ! — read all, I pray 

— and let me understand!" 

I did not read it as it stood, — but tem- 
pered so the phrases 

As not at first to hint the worst, — held 
back the fatal word, 



And half retold his gallant charge, his 
shout, his comrades' praises — 

Till like a statue carved in stone, she 
neither spoke nor stirred ! 

Oh, never yet a woman's heart was frozen 

so completely ! 
So unbaptized with helping tears! — so 

passionless and dumb ! 
Spellbound she stood, and motionless, — 

till little Madge spoke sweetly: 
"Dear mother, is the battle done? and 

will my father come?" 

I laid my finger on her lips, and set the 

child to playing. 
Poor Blanche ! the winter in her cheek 

was snowy like her name ! 
What could she do but kneel and pray, — 

and linger at her praying? 
O Christ! when other heroes die, moan 

other wives the same? 

Must other women's hearts yet break, to 

keep the Cause from failing? 
God pity our brave lovers then, who face 

the battle's blaze ! 
And pity wives in widowhood ! — But it is 

unavailing ! 
O Lord! give Freedom first, then Peace! 

— and unto Thee be praise! 

TO ADMIRAL SCHLEY. 

HAIL ! Hero of our Southern battle 
seas ! 

No wreath of crumbling laurel leaves 
thy brow entwines ; 
America would mete thee more enduring 
fame, 

And in her heart thy name and deed 
enshrines. 

THE SOLDIER'S FAREWELL. 

HE was ready to start for the scenes of 
strife, 

Yet he shed never a tear 
As he said "good-bye" to his loving wife, 

And kissed his children dear. 
But he paused to get one parting peep 

In the shed where his wheel was kept 
When he just collapsed in a sorry heap 

And wept and wept and wept. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



539 



SOMEBODY'S DARLING. 

INTO a ward of the whitewashed halls, 
Where the dead and dying lay, 
Wounded by bayonets, shells, and balls, 
Somebody's Darling was borne one 
day — 

Somebody's Darling, so young and so 
brave, 

Wearing yet on his pale, sweet face, 
Soon to be hid by the dust of the grave, 
The lingering light of his boyhood's 
grace. 

Matted and damp are the curls of gold, 
Kissing the snow of the fair young brow 

Pale are the lips of delicate mould- 
Somebody's Darling is dying now. 

Back from his beautiful blue-veined brow, 
Brush all the wandering waves of gold : 

Cross his hands on his bosom now — 
Somebody's Darling is still and cold. 

Kiss him once for somebody's sake, 

Murmur a prayer both soft and low ; 
One bright curl from its fair mates take — 

They were somebody's pride you know ; 
Somebody's hand hath rested there — 

Was it a mother's, soft and white? 
And have the lips of a sister fair 

Been baptized in the waves of light ? 

God knows best ! he has somebody's love : 

Somebody's heart enshrined him there ; 
Somebody wafted his name above, 

Night and morn, on the wings of prayer. 
Somebody wept when he marched away, 

Looking so handsome, brave, and grand ; 
Somebody's kiss on his forehead lay, 

Somebody clung to his parting hand. 

Somebody's waiting and watching for 
him — 

Yearning to hold him again to her 
heart ; 

And there he lies with his blue eyes dim, 
, And the smiling child-like lips apart, 
i Tenderly bury the fair young dead, 
Pausing to drop on his grave a tear 
Carve in the wooden slab at his head, 
" Somebody's Darling lies sleeping 
here." 



THE COMMON SOLDIER. 

NOBODY cared, when he went to war, 
But the woman who cried on his 
shoulder j 

Nobody decked him with immortelles ; 
He was only a common soldier. 

Nobody packed in a dainty trunk 
Folded raiment and officer's fare ; 

A knapsack held all the new recruit 
Might own, or love, or eat, or wear. 

Nobody gave him a good-by fete, 

With sparkling jest and flower-crowned 
wine ; 

Two or three friends on the sidewalk stood 
Watching for Jones, the fourth in line. 

Nobody cared how the battle went 

With the man who fought till the bul- 
let sped 

Through the coat undecked with leaf or 
star 

On a common soldier left for dead. 

The cool rain bathed the fevered wound, 
And the kind clouds wept the livelong 
night : 

A pitying lotion Nature gave, 

Till help might come with morning 

light- 
Such help as the knife of the surgeon 

gives, 

Cleaving the gallant arm from shoulder; 
And another name swells the pension-list 
For the meagre pay of a common soldier. 

See, over yonder all day he stands — 
An empty sleeve in the soft wind sways, 

As he holds his lonely left hand out 
For charity at the crossing ways. 

And this is how, with bitter shame, 
He begs his bread and hardly lives; 

So wearily ekes out the sum 

A proud and grateful country gives. 

What matter how he served the guns 
When plume and sash were over yonder ? 

What matter though he bore the flag 
Through blinding smoke and battle 
thunder ? 



540 POETRY OF 

What matter that a wife and child 
Cry softly for that good arm rent 

And wonder why that random shot 
To him, their own beloved, was sent ? 

O patriot hearts, wipe out this stain ; 

Give jewelled cup and sword no more ; 
But let no common soldier blush 

To own the loyal blue he wore. 

Shout long and loud for victory won 
By chief and leader staunch and true ; 

But don't forget the boys that fought — 
Shout for the common soldier, too. 

THE CAPTAINS MESSAGE. 

THE great ship ploughs through the 
murky night, 
The wake-waves flash with a phosphor 
gleam, 

The bow dips deep in a yeasty white 
Where the sea-gods strive with the god 
of steam. 

The shrill wind sings in the cordage high, 
The rain-gusts whip on the slanting deck, 

And the only star in the cloud-swept sky 
Is the glimmering shore-light's warning 
speck. 

The captain stands on the swaying bridge, 
The night-glass held in his sturdy hand 7 
O'er seething hollow and foam-capped 
ridge 

He's watched that twinkle that marks 
the land ; 

And now to the speaking-tube he bends 
And gives the word to the engineer, 

And the great steam whistle wakes and sends 
A throbbing shriek through the atmos- 
phere. 

And there in the village far away, 

Where the light looks out on the ocean's 
foam, 

The people listen and smile and say, 
" The captain's sending his message 
home ; " 

And a woman, gazing across the dark, 
Smiles soft as the faint notes rise and 
swell, 

And the children listen and whisper, 
"Hark!" 
"Fa'her's sa ing he's safe and well." 



THE WAR. 

The laboring engines whirl and grind. 

The ship drives on in her ocean race, 
But the captain looks at the light behind 

With a tender smile on his sun-burnt 
face 

And wife and children may sleep at ease, 
With ne'er a fear in a gentle breast; 

Love's voice has spoken across the seas — 
And the captain's message has brought 
them rest. 

Joe Lincoln 
THE NEGRO SOLDIER. 




E used to think the negro didn't 
count for very much — 



Light-fingered in the melon patch, and 
chicken yard, and such ; 

Much mixed in point of morals and ab- 
surd in point of dress, 

The butt of droll cartoonists and the tar- 
get of the press ; 

But we've got to reconstruct our views on 
color, more or less, 

Now we know about the Tenth at 
La Quasina ! 

When a rain of shot was falling, with a 

song upon his lips, 
In the horror where such gallant lives 

went out in death's eclipse, 
Face to face with Spanish bullets, on the 

slope of San Juan, 
The negro soldier showed himself another 

type of man ; 
Read the story of his courage, coldly, 

carelessly, who can — 

The story of the Tenth at La 
Quasina ! 

We have heaped the Cuban soil above 

their bodies, black and white — 
The strangely sorted comrades of that 

grand and glorious fight — 
And many a fair-skinned volunteer goes 

whole and sound to-day 
For the succor of the colored troops, the 

battle records say, 
And the feud is done forever, of the blue 

coat and the gray — 

All honor to the Tenth at La 
Quasina ! 

B. M Channing. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



541 



A^OMAN ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE. 

Where hath not woman stood, 
Strong in affection's might ? 
A reed, upborne 
By an o'ermaturing current ! 

GENTLE and lovely form, 
What didst thou here, 
When the fierce battle storm 
Bore down the spear ? 

Banner and shivered crest 

Beside thee strown, 
Tell that amidst the best 

Thy work was done ! 

Low lies the stately head, 

Earth bound the free : 
How gave those haughty dead 

A place to thee ? 

Slumberer ! thine early bier 
Friends should have crowned, 

Many a flow r er and tear 
Shedding around. 

Soft voices, dear and young, 

Mingling their swell, 
Should o'er thy dust have sung 

Earth's last farewell. 

Sisters, above the grave 

Of thy repose, 
Should have bid violets wave 

With the white rose. 

Now must the trumpet's note 

Savage and shrill, 
For requiem o'er thee float, 

Thou fair and still ! 

And the swift charger sweep, 

In full career, 
Trampling thy place of sleep — 

Why earnest thou here ? 

Why ? — Ask the true heart why 

Woman hath been 
Ever, where brave men die, 

Unshrinking seen ? 

Unto this harvest ground 

Proud reapers came, 
Some for that stirring sound, 

A warrior' name ; 



Some for the stormy play, 

And joy of strife, 
And some to fling away 

A weary life. 

But thou, pale sleeper, thou, 
With the slight frame, 

And the rich locks, whose glow 
Death cannot tame ; 

Only one thought, one power, 

Thee could have led, 
So through the tempest's hour 

To lift thy head ! 

Only the true, the strong 

The love, whose trust 
Woman's deep soul too long 

Pours on the dust. 



OUR GALLANT SONS. 

MY gallant love goes out to-day, 
With drums and bugles sounding 

gay; 

I smile to cheer him on his way — 
Smile back, my heart, to me ! 

The flags are glittering in the light ; 

Is it their stars that blind my sight ? 

God, hold my tears until to-night — 
Then set their fountains free ! 

He takes with him the light of May ; 

Alas ! it seems but yesterday 

He was a bright-haired child at play. 

With eyes that knew no fear ; 
Blue eyes — true eyes ! I see them shine 
Far down, along the waving line — 
Now meet them bravely, eyes of mine ! 

Good cheer, my love, good cheer ! 

Oh, mother hearts, that dare not break ! 
That feel the stress, the long, long ache. 
The tears that burn, the eyes that wake, 

For these our cherished ones — 
And ye — true hearts — not called to bear 
Such pain and peril, for your share — 
Oh, lift with me the pleading prayer, 

God save our gallant sons ! 

Marion Couthouy Smith. 



542 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



BACK FROM THE WAR. 

THE spring day was all of a flu.t ;i with 
flags; 

The mad chimes were beating like surf 

in the air ; 
The beggars had slunk out of sight with 

their rags ; 
And the balconies teemed with the rich 

and the fair. 

And below, on each side, the long vistas 
were set, 

In the framework of faces, patient and 
white — 

Wives, mothers, sweethearts, with full 
eyes wet, 

And sick hearts longing to see the sight. 

Till at length, when the evening was 

waning, there ran 
A stir through the crowd, and far-off, 

like a flame, 
The setting sun burned on the helms of 

the van, 

And with trampling of hoofs the proud 
conquerers came. 

And with every step they advanced, you 
might hear 
Women's voices half maddened with 
long-deferred joy ; 
" Thank God ! he is safe. See, my love, 
we are here, 
See ! here am I, darling ; and this is 
our boy ! " 

Or, " Here am I, dearest, still faithful 
and true ; 

Your own love as^of old ! " Or an 

agonized cry, 
As the loved face comes not with the 

comrades she knew, 
And the rough soldiers find not a word 

to reply. 

And pitiful hands lead her softly away, 
With a loving heart rent and broken in 
twain ; 

And the triumph sweeps onward, in gal- 
lant array — 
The life and the hope, the despair and 
the pain. 



And the long line sweeps past, and the 

dull world rolls on, 
Though the rapture is dead and the sad 

tears are dry ; 
And careless of all, till the progress be 

done, 

Life rides like a conqueror triumphing 
by. 

Lewis Morris. 



REVEILLE. 

THE morning is cheery, my boys, 
arouse ! 

The dew shines bright on the chestnut 
boughs, 

And the sleepy mist on the river lies, 
Though the east is flushing with crimson 
dyes. 

Awake! awake! awake! 
O'er field and wood and brake, 
With glories newly born, 
Comes on the blushing morn. 
Awake! awake! 

You have dreamed of your homes and 

your friends all night ; 
You have basked in your sweethearts' 

smiles so bright : 
Come, part with them all for a while 

again — 

Be lovers in dreams ; when awake, be 
men. 

Turn out ! turn out ! turn out ! 

You have dreamed full long I know, 
Turn out ! turn out ! turn out ! 

The east is all aglow. 
Turn out / turn out ! 

From every valley and hill there come 
The clamoring voices of fife and drum ; 
And out on the fresh, cool morning air 
The soldiers are swarming everywhere. 

Fall in ! fall in ! fall in / 

Every man in his place. 
Fall in ! fall in ! fall in ! 

Each wiih a cheerful face. 
Fall in ! fall in ! 

Michael O'Connor. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 54; 



THE SOLDIER'S CRADLE-HYMN. 

FROM a field of death and carnage 
To the hospital was borne, 
One May morn a youthful soldier, 
With a face all white and worn. 

Day by day he pined and wasted, 

And 'twas pitiful to hear 
Through the dreary long night-watches, 

That sad call of " Mother, dear." 

Weary sufferers, moaning, tossing, 

Turned their sad eyes towards his cot ; 

But that cry was still incessant, 
The young soldier heeded not. 

It was night ; the lights burned dimly ; 

O'r the couch his mother bent 
Lovingly ; with soft caresses 

Through his hair her fingers went 

But he tossed in wild delirium, 
From his pale lips still the cry, 

With that same sad, plaintive moaning, 
4 ' Mother — come — before — I — die. ' ' 

Then in song her voice rose sweetly, 
On her breast she laid his head, 

" Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber, 
Holy angels guard thy bed. ' ' 

While she sang his moans grew fainter, 
And she watched the white lids creep 

O'er his eyes, till calm and peaceful 
In her arms he lay s sleep. 

Dimmer burned the lights, and silence 
Reigned within the white-washed walls ; 

Bearded cheeks were wet with tear-stains, 
All forgot were cannon balls. 

Far-off scenes rose up to memory, 
Tender thoughts — repelled so long — 

Crept into the hearts of soldiers, 
With that soothing cradle-song. 

Morning dawned ; but in the night-time 
One tired soul had upward sped — 

i( Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber ; 
Holy angels guard thy bed. ' ' 

Mary McGuire. 



THE YOUNG AMERICAN. 

SCION of a mighty stock ! 
Hands of ircn — hearts of oak — 
Follow with unflinching tread 
Where the noble fathers led. 

Craft and subtle treachery, 
Gallant youth ! are not for thee ; 
Follow thou in word and deeds 
Where the God within thee leads ! 

Honesty with steady eye, 
Truth and pure simplicity. 
Love that gently winneth hearts — 
These shall be thy only arts : 

Prudent in the council train, 
Dauntless on the battle-plain 
Ready at the country's need 
For her glorious cause to bleed ! 

Where the dews of night distil 
Upon Vernon's holy hill ; 
Where above it, gleaming far, 
Freedom lights her guiding star : 

Thither turn the steady eye, 
Flashing with a purpose high ; 
Thither, with devotion meet, 
Often turn the pilgrim feet ! 

Let the noble motto be, 
God — the country — liberty ! 
Planted on religion's rock, 
Thou shalt stand in even' shock. 

Laugh at danger far or near ! 
Spurn at baseness — spurn at fear ! 
Still, with persevering might, 
Speak the truth and do the right. 

So shall peace, a charming guest, 
Dove-like in thy bosom rest ; 
So shall honor's steady blaze 
Beam upon thy closing days. 

Happy if celestial favor 
Smile upon the high endeavor : 
Happy if it be thy call 
In the holy cause to fall. 

Alexander Hill Everett. 



544 POETRY OF 

THE SINKING OF THE SHIPS. 

DARK, dark is the night; not a star 
in the sky, 
And the Maine rides serenely; what dan- 
ger is nigh ? 
Our nation's at peace with the Kingdom 
of Spain, 

So calmly they rest in the battleshp Maine. 
Bat, hark to that roar! See, the water 
is red ! 

And the sailor sleeps now with the slime 
for his bed. 

Havana then shook, like the leaves of the 
trees, 

When the tornado rides on the breast of 

the breeze ; 
Then people sprang up from their beds 

in the gloom, 
As they'll spring from their graves at the 

thunder of doom ; 
And they rushed through the streets, in 

their terror and fear, 
Crying out as they ran, "Have the rebels 

come here ? ' ' 

"Oh, see how the flame lights the shores 

of the bay, 
Like the red rising sun at the coming of 

day; 

'Tis a ship in a blaze ! 'Tis the battle- 
ship Maine ! 

What means this to us and the Kingdom 
of Spain ? 

The eagle will come at that loud sound- 
ing roar, 

And our flag will fly Jree over Cuba no 
more." 

Dark, dark is the night on the tace of the 
deep, 

In the forts all is still; are the soldiers 
asleep ? 

Oh, see how that ship glides along through 
the night ; 

'Tis the ghost of the Maine — she has come 

to the fight; 
A flash, and a roar, and a cry of despair; 
The eagle has come, for brave Dewey is 

there. 



1 THE WAR. 

I Oh, Spaniards, come out, for the daylight 
has fled, 

j And look on those ships —look with ter- 
ror and dread ; 
j The eagle has come, and he swoops to his 

prey ; 

Oh, fly, Spaniards fly, to that creek in the 

bay! 

The eagle has come — ' 1 Remember the 
Maine ! " 

And the water is red with the blood of 
the slain. 

They rest for a time — now they sail in 
again ! 

I Oh, woe, doom and woe, to the Kingdom 
of Spain. 

\ Their ships are ablaze, they are battered 
and rent, 

j By the death-dealing shells which our 

sailors have sent. 
I Not a man have we lost; yet the battle 

is o'er, 

And their ships ride the bay of Manila no 
more. 

' Dark, silent and dark, on the face of the 
deep, 

A ship glides in there ; are the Spaniards 
asleep ? 

The channel is mined ! Oh, rash sailors, 
beware ! 

Or that death-dealing fiend will spring up 

from his lair ; 
He will tear you, and rend you, with wild 

fiendish roar, 
And cast you afar on the bay and the 

shore ! 

They laugh at the danger, what care tney 

for death ? 
'Tis only a shock and the ceasing of 

breath ; 

Their souls to their Maker, their forms to 
the wave, 

What nation has sons like the home of 

the brave ? 
That ship they would steer to the pit of 

despair, 

If duty cried "Onward ! ' ' and glory were 
there. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



545 



The shore is ablaze, but the channel they 

gain ; 

A word of command, and a rattle of chain ; 
A flash - and the Merrimac's sunk in the 
bay, 

And the Spaniard must leave in the light 

of the day. 
Santiago and Hobson remembered shall be, 
While waves the proud flag of the brave 

and the free. 

The Spaniards sail out — what a glorious 
sight ! 

Now, sailors, stand by and prepare for 
the fight; 

O, Glo'ster, in there, pelt the Dons as 
they fly, 

Make us glorious news for the Fourth of 
July! 

And Wain wright remembered the Maine 

with a roar, 
And that shell-battered hulk is a terror 

no more. 

Then Schley and the Brooklyn were right 

in the way, 
But Sampson had gone to see Shafter, 

they say ; 

And the Oregon flew like a fury from hell, 
Spreading wreckage and death with the 

might of her shell ; 
Then Evans stood out, like a chivalrous 

knight, 

Giving mercy to all at the end of the fight. 

The Colon still flies, but a shell cleaves 
the air, 

Its number is fatal — a cry of despair — 
She turns to the shore, she bursts into flame, 
And down comes the flag of the King- 
dom of Spain ; 
Men float all around, the battle is done, 
And their ships are all sunk for the sink- 
ing of one. 

Not ours is the hand that would strike in 
the night, 

With the fiendish intention to mangle 
and slay; 

We strike at obstruction to freedom and 
right, 

And strike when we strike in the light of 
the day. W. B. Collison. 



R. BLANCO'S SOLILOQUY. 

Blanco (sitting bolt upright in bed) : 
T CANNOT sleep. 

1 The air is heavy and my breath comes 
thick. 

Grim specters haunt the curtained room, 
and roost 

Upon my bed and give to me the laugh. 
I know them not, and yet I muchly fear 
One is Sapphira, with her ancient spouse, 
While trooping in their rear do swiftly 
come. 

The liars famed in days that are no more. 
Methinks they beckon as they bid me 
come. 

Why should I tremble at these lying 
spooks ? 

Our fleet lies low in far Manila Bay, 
Our fleet lies low beside the Cuban 

strand — 
And I lie here ! 

Gee, whiskers ! 

What was that ? 
Methinks it called me with a rude hee, 
haw. 

Again ! ye gods ! and yet, and yet, again ! 
I know it now! It is, it is the dead Ma- 

tanzas mule ! 
Yes, yes, I come — hee, haw, I come, I 

come ! 

(Falls in a dull stupor. A cannon 
booms from the castle. In a neighbor- 
ing room a typewriter clicks on). 



THE SILENT BRAVE. 

HOW sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
By all their country's wishes blest ! 
When spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mold, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands their knell is rung, 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung; 
There honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; 
And freedom shall a while repair, 
To dwell a weeping hermit there ! 

William Collins. 



546 POETRY OF THE WAR. 



WELCOME. 




OME home ! The land that sent you 
forth 



From East and West, from South and 
North, 

Looks wistfully beyond her gates, 
Extends her arms and waits — and waits ! 

At duty's call she stilled her woe ; 
She smiled, through tears, and bade you go 
To face the death you would not shun. 
Brave hearts, return ! Your task is done. 

Not as you journeyed come you back; 
A glow is about your track 
Of deeds that vanquished tyranny 
And set a tortured people free ! 

Deeds, sprung of manhood's finest grace, 
That envious time will not efface ; 
Deeds that proclaim a nation's worth, 
And crown the land that gave them birth. 

America but waits to greet 
And bless you, kneeling at her feet. 
Your standards fair in honor furled, 
The proudest mother in the world ! 

Come home ! The land that sent you 
forth 

From East and West, from South and 
North, 

Looks wistfully beyond her gates, 
Extends her arms and waits ! 

Florence Earle Coates. 

"DO NOT CHEER." 

After the Spanish fleet had struck its 
colors off the harbor of Santiago on July 
3d, Capt. Philip of the battleship Texas 
ordered his crew not to cheer. He as- 
sembled his men and gave thanks to God 
for the victory which we had that day 
gained. 

THE smoke hangs heavy o'er the sea, 
Beyond the storm-swept battle line, 
Where floats the flag of Stripes and Stars, 
Triumphant o'er the shattered foe. 
The walls of Morrow thunder still their 
fear ; 



Helpless, a mass of flame, the foeman 
drifts, 

And o'er her decks the flag of white. 
Hushed voices pass the word from lip to 
lip, 

And grimy sailors silent stand beside the 
guns, 

" Cease firing. An enemy is dying. Do 
not cheer." 

" An enemy is dying. Do not cheer." 
Thy servants' glorious tribute to Thy 
name, 

Christ, Lord, who rules the battle well, 
Who, watching, guards our destinies, 
And seeth e'en the sparrows fall. 
Redly, through drifting smoke, the sun 

looks down 
On silent guns and shot-pierced bloody 

wreck, 

Long lines of weary men, with heads 

bowed low, 
Give thanks, in presence of Thy reaper 

grim. 

Thy will be done, O Lord, Thou rulest 
all. 

J. Herbert Stevens. 



HE CAME. 

THERE was a Don up in a tree, 
And a Yankee down below ; 
{i Come down," said the Yankee to the 
Don, 

But the Don was rather slow. 
" What terms," he asked, " will you make 
with me 

If I come down to you ? 
No terms ? Oh, Mr. Yankee man, 

That'll never, never do." 

The Yankee took aim with his gun 

At the Don up in the tree ; 
" I 11 shoot," he said, "if you don't come 
down 

Before I've counted 'three.'" 
Athwart the Don's dark visage spread 

A terrifying frown. 
But the Yankee counted "one "and "two,' 

And the little old Don came down. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



547 



♦'SWEAR, OH, SWEAR." 

YE freemen, how long will ye stifle 
The vengeance that justice inspires? 
With treason how long will ye trifle, 
And shame the proud name of your 
sires ? 

Out? out with the sword and the rifle, 
In defence of your homes and your 
fires ! 

The flag of the old Revolution, 
Swear firmly to serve and uphold, 

That no treasonous breath of pollution 
Shall tarnish one star on its fold. 
Swear ! 

And hark ! the deep voices replying, 
From graves where your fathers are lying — 
Swear ! oh, swear ! 

In this moment, who hesitates barters 

The rights which his forefathers won ; 
He forfeits all claim to the charters 

Transmitted from sire to son. 
Kneel, kneel at the graves of our martyrs, 

And swear on your sword and your gun; 
Lay up your great oath on an altar 

As huge and as strong as Stonehenge, 
And then, with sword, fire and halter, 

Sweep down the field of revenge. 
Swear ! 

And hark ! the deep voices replying, 
From graves where your fathers are lying — 
Swear ! oh, swear ! 

By the tombs of your sires and brothers, 

The host which the traitors have slain; 
By the tears of your sisters and mothers, 

In secret concealing their pain ; 
The grief which the heroine smothers, 

Consuming the heart and the brain ; 
By the sigh of the penniless widow, 

By the sob of our orphans' despair. 
Where they sit in their sorrowful shadow, 

Kneel, kneel, every freeman, and swear! 
Swear ! 

And hark ! the deep voices replying, 
From graves where your fathers are lying — 
Swear ! oh, swear ! 

On mounds which are wet with the 
weeping, 

Where a nation has bow'd to the sod, 



Where the noblest of martyrs are sleeping 
Let the wind bear your vengeance 
abroad ; 

And your firm oaths be held in the keeping 
Of your patriot hearts and your God; 
Over Ellsworth, for whom the first tear 
rose, 

While to Baker and Lyon you look, 
By Winthrop, a star among heroes, 

By the blood of our murdered McCook. 
Swear ! 

And hark ! the deep voices replying, 
From graves where your fathers are lying — 
Swear ! oh, swear ! 

OVERWORKED GODDESS. 

SINCE the Deweys and the Hobsons, 
And the Sampsons and the Schleys 
Have been doing things to make us 

Cheer and laud them to the skies — 
Since this war against the Spaniards 

Has been going on there's one 
That is weary every evening, 

One whose work is never done. 
'Tis the goddess that's presiding 
O'er the shining scroll of fame, 
Who is charged to do the writing 
Down of each new hero's name. 
From the sunrise till the sunset 

She is busy every day, 
Working overtime, without a 
Single cent of extra pay. 

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. 

YES ; rouse, Americans ! And cheer ! 
And let your voices be heard 
Wherever men love liberty 
And prize that sacred word. 

For lo ! on Santiago's heights 

Our gallant standard waves, 
And freedom dawns on souls of men 

Who yesterday were slaves. 

Where Shafter leads his conquering train ; 

With stern, heroic Miles — 
Fair Cuba drops her captive chain 

And lifts her head and smiles. 

The proud Castilian hirelings bow 

Before Right's stern decree : 
The " Pearl of the Antilles now " now 

Is fated to be free. 



543 POETRY OF 

WHAT COMES AFTER. 

EMBLAZONED immortal on history's 
pages 

The names of our heroes on land and 
on sea, 

A monument that will outlast countless 

ages, 

Roll call of the glorious sons of the free; 
Our diplomat leader in far off Manila, 
Adored of a people — in praise just and 
true ; 

The great flagship Brooklyn's cool, gallant 
commandant, 
All honor to him, to whom honor is due. 

Our general, too, from whose brow wreath'd 
in laurels, 

Petty jealousy fain would have snatched 
the fair crown ; 
And the boys of the army and boys of 
the navy — 
By disease and the guns of the Spaniards 
mowed down — 
Underfed and uncared for, yet still un- 
complaining. 
Tho' enlisted to warfare — not, hunger — 
they came; 
Oh! shame to the black heart, by whom 
they are dying, 
Whose neglect is a blot on the nation's 
fair name. 

Forgetful of self — at the engines, hell 
tempered, 

Overpowered but staggering still to 
their post ; 
The guns knew of heroes, unhonored in 
story, 

With naught to gain, albeit risking the 
most. 

But with God rank is leveled, on man and 
commander, 
Who e'er combat ended had stemmed 
the dark flood, 

The voice of the Father fell, sweet, re- 
assuring, 

" Enter into my rest, ye have done 
what ye could." 

Lilian H. du Bois. 



THE WAR. 

DIRGE OF THE DRUMS. 

DEAD! Dead! Dead, dtad, dead! 
To the solemn beat of the last retreat 
That falls like lead, 
Bear the hero now to his honored rest 
With the badge of courage upon his breast, 
While the sun sinks down in the gleaming 
West- 
Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Dead ! Dead ! Mourn the dead r 
While the mournful notes of the bugles 
float 

Across his bed, 
And the guns shall toll on the vibrant air 
The knell of the victor lying there — 
'Tis a fitting sound for a soldier's prayer — 

Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Dead ! Dead ! Dead, dead, dead ! 
To the muffled beat of the lone retreat 

And speeding lead, 
Lay the hero low to his well-earned rest, 
In the land he loved, on her mother breast, 
While the sunlight dies in the darkening 
West- 
Dead! Dead! Dead! 

Ralph Alton. 
TAPS. 

TAPS— for the day is finished, 
And the moon, in her silvery light, 
Whips up from the low horizon 
To the star-flecked clouds of night. 

Taps — and the day's hard duty 

Is o'er, and the time for rest 
Sounds forth in its pointed cadence, 

And the blowing bugler's blest. 

Taps — their duty is ended. 

The dead lie side by side. 
"Lights out" the bugler's sounding 

As they start on their long last ride- 
Such is their journey homeward — 

To "taps" o'er the broken sod, 
To wake on the morn with souls new born 

At the "reveille" of God. 

Henry Edward Wallace, Jr. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



549 



THE MAN WITH THE MUSKET. 

SOLDIERS, pass on from this rage of 
renown, 

This ant-hill, commotion and strife, 
Pass by where the marbles and bronzes 
look down 
With their fast-frozen gestures of life, 
On, out to the nameless who lie 'neath the 
gloom 

Of the pitying cypress and pine ; 
Your man is the man of the sword and 
the plume, 
But the man of the musket is mine. 

I knew him ! By all that is noble, I knew 

This commonplace hero I name ! 
I've camped with him, marched with him, 
fought with him, too, 
In the swirl of the fierce battle-flame ! 
Laughed with him, cried with him, taken 
a part 

Of his canteen and blanket, and known 
That the throb of his chivalrous prairie 
boy's heart 
Was an answering stroke of my own. 

I knew him, I tell you! And, also, I knew | 
When he fell on the battle-swept ridge, i 
That poor -battered body that lay there in 
blue 

Was only a plank in the bridge 
Over which some should pass to a fame 

That shall shine while the high stars 
shall shine ! 
Your hero is known by an echoing name, 

But the man with the musket is mine. 

I knew him ! All through him the good 
and the bad 
Ran together and equally free ; 
But I judge as I trust Christ will judge the 
brave lad, 
For death made him noble to me ! 

In the cyclone of war, in the battle's 
eclipse 

Life shook off its lingering sands, 
And he died with the names that he loved 
on his lips, 

His musket still grasped in his hands ! 
Up close to the flag my soldier went down. 

In the salient front of the line ; 



You may take for your heroes the men of 
renown, 

But the man of the musket is mine. 

H. S. Taylor. 

IT IS GREAT FOR OUR COUNTRY 
TO DIE. 

OH ! it is great for our country to die, 
where ranks are contending : 
Tright is the wreath of our fame; glory 
awaits us for aye — 
Glory, that never is dim, shining on with 
light never ending — 
Glory that never shall fade, never, oh ! 
never away. 

Oh ! it is sweet for our country to die ! 
How softly reposes 
Warrior youth on his bier, wet by the 
tears of his love, 
Wet by a mother's warm tears ; they crown 
him with garlands of roses, 
Weep, and then joyously turn, bright 
where he triumphs above. 

Not to the shades shall the youth descend, 
who for country hath perished ; 
Hebe awaits him in heaven, welcomes 
him there with her smile; 
There, at the banquet divine, the patriot 
spirit is cherished; 
Gods love the young who ascend pure 
from the funeral pile. 

Not to Elysian fields, by the still, oblivious 
river; 

Not to the isles of the blest, over the 

blue, rolling sea; 
But on Olympian heights shall dwell the 

devoted forever; 
There shall assemble the good, there 

the wise, valiant and free. 

Oh ! then, how great for our country to 
die, in the front rank to perish, 
Firm with our breast to the foe, victory's 
shout in our ear! 
Long they our statutes shall crown, in 
son.ss our memory cherish; 
We shall look forth from our heaven, 
pleased the sweet music to hear. 



550 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



WHEN BANNERS ARE WAVING. 

HEN banners are waving, 
And lances a-pushing; 
When captains are shouting, 

And war-horses rushing; 
When cannon are roaring, 

And hot bullets flying, 
He that would honor win, 
Must not fear dying. 

Though shafts fly so thick 

That it seems to be snowing; 
Though streamlets with blood 

More than water are flowing; 
Though with sabre and bullet 

Our bravest are dying, 
We speak of revenge, but 

We ne'er speak of flying. 

Come, stand to it, heroes ! 

The heathen are coming; 
Horsemen are round the walls, 

Riding and running ; 
Maidens and matrons all 

Arm ! arm ! are crying, 
From petards the wildfire's 

Flashing and flying. 

The trumpets from turrets high 

Loudly are braying; 
The steeds for the onset 

Are snorting and neighing; 
As waves in the ocean, 

The dark plumes are dancing ; 
As stars in the blue sky, 

The helmets are glancing. 

Their ladders are planting, 

Their sabres are sweeping; 
Now swords from our sheaths 

By the thousand are leaping ; 
Like the flash of the lightning 

Ere men hearken thunder, 
Swords gleam, and the steel caps 

Are cloven asunder. 

The shouting has ceased, 

And the flashing of cannon ! 
I looked from the turret 

For crescent and pennon : 
As flax touched by fire, 

As hail in the river, 
They were smote, they were fallen, 

And had melted for ever. 



THE CUBAN CRISIS. 

RED is the setting sun, 
Redder the Cuban sod ; 
Aiaceo's valiant fight is done 
For freedom and for God. 
The long-leaved pine and the stately palm 

Bend lowly in grief to-night, 
And through the hush of the tropic calm 
There rolls from the sea a mournful psalm, 
A requiem over the right. 

Honored with many scars 

Now lies the hero brave ; 
Pityingly the southern stars 

Weep o'er the martyr's grave, 
While night winds wmisper of deeds so fell 

That nature shudders in sleep, 
And every tree in the crimson dell 
Mutters a secret most dread to tell 
Of treachery foul and deep. 

Every land shall know, 

Heaven and earth shall see ; 
The whole world weeps when a traitor's 
blow 

Strikes at the brave and free. 
But from Havana comes clang of bells, 

Borne gaily across the lea 
From Morro Castle, where Weyler dwells, 
A drunken wassail the clamor swells 
With plaudits and fiendish glee. 

Dark seem the midnights there, 

Dark are the crimes they blot; 
But darker still are the dungeons where 

The friends of freedom rot. 
Their chains clank dull on the slim}- walls, 

Their festering bones protrude ; 
And day after day the death bell tolls 
As the drifting smoke from the slaughter 
rolls, 

'Mid jeers from the multitude! 

Red is the rising sun, 

Red with the wrath of God ; 
For Cuba reddens in streams that run 

With blood where her tyrants have trod. 
Still flows to the sea the scarlet tide; 

How long shall it last, O Lord ! 
But hell rolls on where the Spaniards ride. 
And frenzied women in terror hide 
From a fate far worse than the sword. 




POETRY OF THE WAR. 551 



Our skies are obscured with smoke, 
Our seas are stained with blood ; 

Our hills still echo the butcher's stroke 
Across the crimson flood. 

Our flag insulted, our brothers slain, 
At last awakens our land ; 

Now sweeps a tempest from every plain, 

Our sovereign people have challenged 
Spain, 

The judgment hour is at hand. 

Louis S. Amonson. 

FOR CUBA. 

HAVE you heard the call from Cuba 
Coming northward on the breeze? 
Have you seen the dark cloud hanging 
To the southward o'er the seas? 

It is a gasp for liberty, 

That shudders on the air; 
Spain has relit her torture-fires, 

And men are writhing there. 

Oppression's tempest gathers force, 

Its tidal wave rolls high; 
Old Europe's shadow dims the stars 

We kindled in the sky. 

The time is come for action, 

Now let the right prevail ; 
Shall all our boasted sympathy 

With slaves downtrodden fail? 

Shall we be mockers of the faith 
By which our course was set? 

Shall we deny what we received 
From men like Lafayette? 

Help ! help ! the swarthy patriots cry, 
While Spaniards beat them down. 

Because they will not bend the knee 
To one who wears a crown. 

The hoary, mediaeval lie, 

That robes the power of kings, 

And rivets chains on bleeding hands. 
Once more its logic brings. 

At subtle diplomatic pleas 

Let free-born statesmen scoff ; 

Poor, drowning Cuba grips our skirt, — 
Shall Freedom shake her off? 



| Oh no ! fling out the fleet and flag, 
To shield her from the storm, 

I And let that splendid Island feel 
The clasp of Freedom's arm. 

Maurice Thompson. 

THE TIME OF WAR. 

THE flags of war like storm-birds fly, 
The charging trumpets blow; 
Yet rolls no thunder in the sky, 
No earthquake strives below. 

And, calm and patient, nature keeps 

Her ancient promise well, 
Though o'er her bloom and greenness 
sweeps 

The battle's breath of hell. 

And still she walks in golden hours 
Through harvest-happy farms, 

And still she wears her fruits and flowers 
Like jewels on her arms. 

W r hat mean the gladness of the plain, 

This joy of eve and morn, 
The mirth that shakes the beard of grain 

And yellow locks of corn? 

Ah ! eyes may well be full of tears, 
And hearts with hate are hot; 

But even-paced come round the years, 
And nature changes not. 

She meets with smiles our bitter grief, 
W'ith songs our groans of pain ; 

She mocks with tint of flower and leaf 
The war field's crimson stain. 

Still, in the cannon's pause we hear 
Her sweet thanksgiving psalm; 

Too near to God for doubt or fear, 
She shares the eternal calm. 

She knows the seed lies safe below 
The fires that blast and burn ; 

For all the tears of blood we sow 
She waits the rich return. 

She sees with clearer eye than ours 
The good of suffering born — 

The hearts that blossom like her flowers, 
And ripen like her corn. 



552 POETRY OF 

AT CLOSE QUARTERS. 

SHE wore a dress of navy blue, 
The collar white and blue and red ; 
A striped belt — and stockings, too ; 

A sailor hat was on her head. 
Red, white and blue her chatelaine ; 

She had a flag beneath her chin, 
She wore a badge—" U. S. S. Maine," 
A tiny cannon for a pin. 

She wore a shell-comb in her hair, 

With army buttons all embossed ; 
Some swords were also sticking there, 

And at her belt small rifles crossed. 
Her pocket-book was knapsack shape, 

Her smelling bottle a wee canteen 
Containing essence of " Crushed Grape " — 

The neatest thing I'd ever seen. 

Her face was patriotic, too, 

And full of everlasting charms ; 
Her cheeks were red, teeth white, eyes blue; 

She also had repeating arms. 
In fact, she was in "fighting trim," 

So an " engagement " I did seek; 
And though my chance to win was slim, 

I cruised around about her cheek. 

Puff ! Suddenly she fired at me 

A perfect fusilade of smiles ! 
It shook my heart " windward " to "lee," 

Re-echoing for miles and miles ! 
My rapid-firing lips I turned 

Upon her then (for they were loaded), 
But when the fast-sent kisses burned, 

The powder on her face exploded ! 

SONG FOR OUR FLEETS. 

A SONG for our fleets" — our iron fleets, 
Of grim and savage beauty, 
That plow their way through fields of spray 

To follow a nation's duty! 
The winds may blow and the waves may 
flow 

And stars may hide their faces, 
But little we reck, our stars o'er deck 
Still glitter within their places. 

Let never a one who gazes on 

This pageant, calm and splendid, 

Doubt that our coasts from hostile hosts 
Will gallantly be defended ! 



THE WAR. 

A desperate foe may wish us woe, 
But what is their petty knavery 

Against the right, when backed by might 
And Anglo-Saxon bravery? 

A song for our fleets — our gallant fleets, 

'Neath flags of glory flying, 
That carry the aid, so long delayed, 

To those that are crushed and dying ! 
And flames may glow, and blood may flow, 

But still, with a stern endeavor, 
We'll rule the main, and lash foul Spain 

From our western world forever ! 

Will Carleton. 

"PRIVATE JONES." 

I USED to boss him in the store 
And oversee his work, 
For I had charge of one whole floor 

And he was just a clerk. 
To-day it's different, if you please; 

We've changed respective pegs, 
I'm private in the ranks — and he's 
Got stripes 
Down 
His 
Legs. 

The girls, whose smiles were once for me, 

Now scarce vouchsafe a glance, 
Such great attraction can they see 

In decorated pants. 
The erstwhile clerk no longer my 

Indulgence humble begs. 
I'm down below. He's up on high, 
With stripes 
Down 
His 
Legs. 

It's " Private Jones, do this and that." 

In haste I must bestir — 
To Jenkins, on whom oft I've sat, 

I'm told to answer " sir ! " 
One born to rule, it's come to pass 

Of woe I drink the dregs — 
I'm in the army, with, alas ! 

No stripes 
Down 
My 

Legs. Edwin L. Sabin. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



553 



WELCOME HOME! 

HANG out your banners ! The boys 
are returning 
Laureled with honors from distant cam- 
paigns ; 

Give them a welcome so rousing and 
burning 

That naught of the hardship and strug- 
gle remains. 

Sunburned and valiant, the columns are 
swinging. 

Past the old places that knew them of 
yore. 

Roar out your welcome, while steeples are 
ringing, 

And our fair city flings open the door ! 

When the gay bandsmen their marches 
are playing 
Drown the proud notes with a deafen- 
ing cheer; 
Sweeter than all is the frantic hurrahing 
Of the glad thousands that jostle so near. 

Cheer them again till the firmaments rattle, 
Fling out the flag they would follow to 
death ! 

Past is the pestilence, famine and battle — 
Wars dread attendants they gallantly 
met. 

Welcome them home with a welcome the 
rarest, 

Greet them with flowers rained down 
from above- 
Back to the town of the bravest and fairest, 
Back to the City of Brotherly Love ! 

Louis S. Amonson. 

WHERE'S THE BLAME? 

SHE sank without a warning note, 
The cry of fear stuck in each throat, 
And, as she swerved with stricken reel, 
They drowned like rats in cage of steel. 
Masters, where' s the blame ? 

'Twas not the crash of fiery fight 
Drew down our flag from mortal right; 
'Neath shining stars and rippling wave 
Unshriven went she to her grave. 
Masters, where's the blame? 



Ah, hear ye not the orphans' wail, 
The clamor borne upon the gale ? 
While millions rise and sobbing cry, 
" Why was it doomed these men to die — 
Masters, where's the blame?" 

PEACE. 

THE Pride of the Antilles bowed her 
head, 

She had snapped her teeth in vain, 
Her faith was weak and her hope was dead. 
Crushed by the power of Spain. 

'Twas then that a greater power arose, 

And o'er the Western wave 
A voice called ''Halt" to Cuba's foes, 

And an arm stretched forth to save. 

The voice was the surge of a people's 
soul, 

In the arm was a mighty sword, 
In the wake of a war-time thunder's roll 
Was the blood of heroes poured. 

Till the heart of the Don no longer braved 

The force of the Iron Hand, 
And the flag of the Great Republic waved 

Throughout that weary land. 

The dogs of war have ceased to bark, 
The wings of peace are spread, 

And a gleam of glory lights the dark 
In the graves of a nation's dead. 

God grant these hundred days of strife 

May bring a hundred years 
Of plenteousness and peaceful life, 

And an utter dearth of tears. 

For men are no less brave at home, 
And women's hearts are stronger 

When soldier sweethearts cease to roam 
And war alarms no longer. 

If men must work and women weep, 
Why should it be for others ? 

So let the dogs of war still sleep, 
And let all men be brothers. 

Franklin Trusdell. 



554 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE SAXONS. 

WE sing the fame of Saxon name, 
And the spell of its world-wide 
power, 

Of its triumphs vast in the glorious past, 

And the might of the rising hour ; 
And our bosoms glow, for we proudly 
know 

With the flag of right unfurled, 
That the strength and skill of the Saxon 
will 

Is bound to rule the world. 

And we glory not in the empty thought 

That the Saxon arm is strong ; 
Nor alone to know, tho' 'tis surely so, 

That the seas to her belong. 
But this our pride, with Wrong defied, 

And the sin-cloud backward hurled, 
That the word of God, our triumph rod, 

Is bound to rule the world. 

In days of yore from the Saxon shore 

Our sea-born fathers came. 
They conquered then by the might of men 

And sword, and spear, and flame ; 
But to us 'tis given by the voice of Heaven, 

With the peace flag far unfurled, 
In our Union's might, by the power of 
Right, 

To rule, 'neath God, the world. 

In the olden time there were deeds sub- 
lime, 

And dear-bought victories won ; 
For the hearts were true on the heaving 
blue, 

Or behind the fortress gun; 
And they championed Right in their rising 
might, 

With their war-flags old unfurled ; 
Yea, Wrong went down 'neath the Saxon 
frown, 

But its smile shall rule the world. 

And perchance of old, if the truth be told, 
There were brother hearts estranged ; 

But the wound is healed and the friend- 
ship sealed 
As the years have upward ranged, 



! Let the tale of wrong, now dead so long, 
With the old war-flags be furled ; 
For a peace sublime, in the coming time, 
Is bound to rule the world. 

'Tis a mighty dower, this earth-wide 
power, 

And a mighty task involves ; 
With our hearts steel-true, let us hold in 
view 

The might of our high resolves ; 
Let us stand for Right in our race's might, 

With our fearless flag unfurled ; 
For the might of Love from our Goo. 
above 

Is bound to rule the world. 

William R. Wood. 

WE ARE ALL YANKEES NOW. 

ONCE our nation was divided, 
And was rent by cruel strife. 
Then the Johnnies and the Yankees 
Threatened long to take its life. 

Let us shout for the Union, 

To the Stars and Stripes we'll bow, 

No party lines divide us, 
For we're all Yankees now. 

With our millions all united, 

And with freedom's flag unfurled, 

Backed by patriotic freemen, 
Uncle Sam can rule the world. 

Heber Donaldson. 

HOBSON AND HIS CHOSEN SEVEN. 




OME, kings and queens the world 
around, 



Whose power and fame all climes resound ! 
Come, sailors bold and soldiers brave, 
Whose names shall live beyond the grave ! 
Come, men and women, come, boys and 
girls, 

Wherever our flag to the breeze unfurls ! 
Come one, come all, let none stand back, 
Come, praise the men of the Merrimac ! 
Out from the water, out from the fire, 
Out from the jaws of death most dire ! 
Far up in the fame and light of heaven, 
See Hobson with his chosen seven ! 



POETRY OF 

AS TO WAR TAXES. 

THEY'VE put a stamp upon our checks, 
As well as on our beer; 
They've taxed the note that often wrecks, 

And things that bring good cheer. 
They've taxed the mortgage on the roof, 

They've taxed insurance, too, 
Until some folks have but reproof 
For schemes for Revenue. 

I've but a word of good advice 

For those who make the tax : 
Why not impose some of the ice 

On more deserving backs? 
Why make the man who pays a debt 

Add something to his score, 
When there are several millions yet 

'Twere well not to ignore? 

Tax nuisances, not virtues. There 

Is sure no lack of these : 
The man who talks while cutting hair, 

The man demanding fees 
For doing what he ought to do, 

And others of his ilk; 
Pray why ignore the pirate crew 

And put so much on silk ? 

The Yellow Journalist should be 

Compelled to pay two cents 
On every one-cent extra he 

Brings out with lines immense. 
Tax alf the fibs this fellow tells ; 

I think you'll surely find 
That you've at last removed the spells 

That weak finances bind. 

Tax all the saffron clergymen, 

Forgetful of their place, 
For every word they utter when 

They would incite the race. 
Tax people like our loved Van Wyck, 

And Piatt, and Croker, too, 
For every scheming little strike 

Their politics put through. 

Tax deals and schemes, tax everything 
Which makes our folk appear 

To be bound fast within a ring — 
You'll find there's plenty here. 



' THE WAR. 555 

i Tax everywhere corruption, and 
I think you'll shortly see 
The people in a chorus grand 
Acclaim you splendidly. 

John Kendrick Bangs. 

THE BALLAD OF PRIVATE SMITH. 

OH, Private Smith went off to the war, 
A-leaving Sally Jones ; 
He thought he'd get a good, fat berth, 
But came back skin and bones ! 

" Oh, Sally Jones," says he to her, 

" In ships we went to roam ; 
Though glad to fight in Cuba, yet 
In transports came we home ! 

" 'Twas easy tacking on the sea, 
'Twas hard tack on the land ; 
We longed for clams — and oysters, too — 
Or even oysters panned ! 

"And in the trenches ev'ry day, 

The heavens would bombard — 
And though rain water's very soft 
It always came down hard ! 

" Of course we wouldn't got so wet 
Had we not fought with Spain — 
But driving Spanish rulers out 
Brought on the Cuban reign ! 

" And those machetes the Cubans used — 

Why here's a trick they'd do ; 
One cut at just one Spanish man, 
And one was cut in two ! 

"We fought along 'most ev'ry day, 

In rain or broiling heat — 
Consid'ring what we had for food, 
We'd rather fight than eat ! 

"And Sally Jones, of you I thought, 

When thick the bullets flew — 
Not one went through my heart, because 
I'd left it home with you ! 

"I'd given you my stomach, too, 

If I'd been half-way smart, 
For then, oh Sally, it would be 
As full as is my heart ! " 



556 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



TELLING THEM OF TAMPA. 

WEARY months I've spent in Tampa, 
where the luscious hardtack grows; 
'Tis a wond'rous fruit, dear sister, which 

fact every soldier knows. 
And it grows — please pass the butter ! — 

grows in Tampa, as I said — 
Sister ! just a few potatoes ! Mother, won't 
you ~ass the bread ! 

There's another curious product of that 

most peculiar land : 
; Tis the pig-tree where the pork blooms — 

Mother, this roast-beef is grand ! 
And this pig-tree — Sister ! pass the stewed 

tomatoes down this way ! 
Well, this pig-tree — Mother ! say, this 

home-made pickle's all O K ! 
Tell you all about our camp life ? Cer- 
tainly — please pass the bread ! 
Well, we got up in the morning and at 

night we went to bed ; 
Then sometimes we — Sister ! help me to 

another piece of steak ! 
Yes, and then, again, we — Mother ! what 

fine gravey you can make ! 
Did we have good meals at Tampa ? Yes 

indeedy — in a horn ! 
Best the land afforded — Sister ! give me 

one more ear of corn ! 
Meals down there were so delightful that 

I — Mother ! pour the tea ! 
So delightful that — Say, Sister ! is that 

succotash I see ? 
Well, as I was saying, camp life is — Say, 

Sister ! pass the slaw ! 
Camp life is — Say, Mother ! just a bit 

more beef — er— ^medium raw ! 
To go back to camp life — Will I have 

some chicken salad, say ! 
Will I? Well, you try me, Sister ! won't 

you pass the bread this way ? 

Down at Tampa — what's that, Mother? 
Did I hear you mention pie ? 

Ice-cream, too ? This must be heaven in 
the glorious bye and bye ! 

Down at Tampa — easy, Mother; just two 
lumps is all I take ! 

Down at — Oh, confound old Tampa ! Sis- 
ter ! won't you pass the cake ! 

George Hobart. 



A GOOD FIGHTER. 

"AH, he's good for naught but fight- 
A ing ! " 

Oft I've said : 
Long ago when he was little — 

Baby Fred — 
He'd forsake his ball and rattle 
To plunge madly into battle 

For another — 

For his brother : 
Now he's dead ! 

He was good for naught but fighting, 
Good for naught — 

Had no sense of self or pelf, what's 
Sold or bought — 

Had but little love for learning, 

But to right men's wrongs was burning- 
Ne'er did blunder — 
E'er for under 
Dog he fought. 

" He will live and die a fighter," 

Said his "dad;" 
And he did — he wasn't twenty — 

Just a lad- — 
And his "daddy" gone before him! 
Now the grass is growing o'er him, 

And I'm lonely 

For the only 
Boy I had. 

But his name is one with Glory! 

Grief's alloy 
Cannot ruin golden memories 

Of past joy: 
He who fought but never quarreled, 
He whom deathless fame has laureled, 

Aging never, 

Will forever 
Be my boy ! 

Mary Norton Bradford. 

WAR TIME. 

WHEN Willie in the regiment 
Went out to meet the foe, 
His sweetheart stood, with face intent, 
And pale, to see him go. 

Though sank her heart within her breast, 

She did not dare to cry; 
She'd heard in war-time it was best 

To keep her powder dry. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 557 



HER PAPA. 

MY papa's all dressed up to-day ; 
He never looked so fine ; 
I thought when first I looked at him, 
My papa wasn't mine. 

He's got a beautiful new suit — 
The old one was so old — 

It's blue, with buttons, oh, so bright 
I guess they must be gold. 

And papa's sort o' glad and sort 

O' sad — I wonder why; 
And ev'ry time she looks at him 

It makes my mamma cry. 

Who's Uncle Sam? My papa says 

That he belongs to him ; 
But papa's joking, 'cause he knows 

My uncle's name is Jim. 

My papa just belongs to me 
And mamma. And I guess 

The folks are blind who cannot see 
His buttons marked U. S. 

U. S. Spells us. He's ours — and yet 
My mamma can't help cry. 

And papa tries to smile at me 
And can't — I wonder why? 



AT THE FRONT. 

NOT the soldiers only are at the front 
to-day, 

Not alone the boys in blue who face the 

stubborn foe, 
In the tent and in the charge, and on the 

weary way, 
There are unseen sentinels who watch 

with eyes aglow. 

Mothers who have sent their sons to battle 
for the right, 
Wives and sweethearts all day long, 
whose throbbing hearts are there, 
A host of loyal loving ones who help the 
gallant fight 
By beating at the throne of God with 
never-ceasing prayer, 



These may not thread the jungle, nor 
storm the frowning hill, 
They stand not in the rifle pit, they 
man no sullen gun ; 
But they are with the army, and with 
strength their pulses thrill, 
And theirs will be the victor's part, 
when once the strife is done. 

Standing for the old flag, standing firm 
for God, 

Standing for humanity, they meet the 
battle's brunt, 
These women who, for heartache, scarce 
can see the path they've trod, 
Since they kissed the lads they loved so 
dear, and sent them to the front. 
Margaret E. Sangster. 

PITY FOR THE SLAIN. 




E have wreathed all our heroes on 
land and on sea, 



And have lauded their valor from ' ' A " 

unto "Z," 
Let us turn from the flood of their glories 

to see 

Where the ebb and the cross-current 
runs. 

To the fever-cursed peasants in transport 

and pen, 

To the shark-mangled fragments that once 

were called men, 
To the targets for Gatlings and Crag- 

Jorgensen, 
To the men who're in front of our 

guns. 

There are vine-wreathed homes on the 
hillsides of Spain, 

Where their children will watch for their 
coming in vain, 

And we turn from our slogan, " Remem- 
ber the ' Maine ! ' " 
To remember their wives and their sons. 

Let us give all our glories to whom it is 
due, 

To our heroes who fought under Red, 

White and Blue, 
But a tear drop in pity; humanity's due 
to the men who're in front of our guns. 



558 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



HONOR THE BRAVE. 

HONOR the deeds of heroes done 
In battles fought and victories won 
By freedom's sons o*er land and sea, 
With loud acclaim our greetings be. 

Who never faltered at the call, 
But bravely answered one and all — 
The call that made dark Cuba free, 
And led the way to liberty. 

What though in death's eternal sleep, 
With foemen brave some silence keep, 
Their fame will ever cherished be 
While time shall last and memory. 

Then stifle not one note of praise 
When you your highest anthems raise 
To Him whose blessing did attend, 
Who from beginning saw the end. 

W. R. Evans. 



A TOAST TO OUR SHIPS. 

WHY do our battleships scour the 
main, 

W T hat need of big cruisers to thrash old 
Spain 

When we have a surplus of Yankee pluck, 
And the Hist, the Hornet and Wampa- 
tuck? 

The Spaniards scoffed at our navy of tugs, 
Manned by ignorant sailors and thugs : 
But a different tune is sung since they 
struck 

The Hist, the Homeland Wampatuck. 

They blockade, cut cables, pass forts and 
fight; 

They are in it at ail times, day or night, 
And Hidalgoes flee, when these three run 
amuck, 

The Hist, the Hornet and Wampatuck. 

A toast to brave Jungen, Helm and 
Young, 

May their praises loud and long be sung ; 
One foot on the table, boys, "Here's 
luck " 

To the Hist, the Hornet and Wampatuck. 



OUR FLAG. 

NOW can the world once more the 
glory see 

Of this our flag, emblem of liberty. 
Now can the tyrant quake with direst fear 
As o'er his land our banners shall appear. 

Now can the Cubans with triumphant 
voice 

Lead on their troops to battle and rejoice. 
Our starry flag to Cuba peace shall bring. 
And through the world great songs of 
praise shall ring. 

No selfish aim shall lead our flag astray, 
No base desire shall point our banner's 
way ; 

Each star has told a tale of noble deed, 
Each stripe shall mean from strife a nation 
free. 

Our glorious past when first with thirteen 
stars 

On field of blue with white and bright red 
bars, 

Our flag led on in battle's fierce array, 
And freed the land from mighty Britain's 
sway. 

And since this time when first it was un- 
furled, 

Our flag has proved the noblest in the 
world. 

From Cuba's shore out to Manila Bay 
Its mighty folds protecting fly to-day. 

Beneath this flag with patriotic pride 
For freedom's cause great men have gladly 
died, 

Our noblest sons beneath its folds so free 
In conflict died for Cuba's liberty. 

I Float on, dear flag, our nation's greatest 

joy, 

! Thy starry folds no despot shall destroy ; 
i Stretch out thy arms till war forever cease. 
And all the world is universal peace. 

Chas. F. Alsop. 



POETRY OF 
THE ISLANDS OF THE SEA. 




OD is shaping the great future of the 
islands of the sea ; 



He has sown the blood of martyrs and the 

fruit is liberty ; 
In thick clouds and in darkness He has 

sent abroad His word ; 
He has given a haughty nation to the 

cannon and the sword. 

He has seen a people moaning in the 

thousand deaths they die ; 
He has heard from child and woman a 

terrible dark cry ; 
He has given the wasted talent of the 

steward faithless found 
To the youngest of the nations with His 

abundance crowned. 

He called her to do justice where none 
but she had power ; 

He called her to do mercy to her neigh- 
bor at the door ; 

He called her to do vengeance for her 
own sons foully dead ; 

Thrice did he call unto her before she 
hearkened. 

She has gathered the vast Midland, she 

has searched her borders round ! 
There has been a mighty hosting of her 

children on the ground ; 
Her searchlights lie along the sea, her 

guns are loud on land ; 
To do her will upon the earth her armies 

round her stand. 

The fleet at her commandment to either 

ocean turns; 
Belted around the mighty world her line 

of battle burns ; 
She has loosed the hot volcanoes of the 

ships of flaming hell ; 
With fire and smoke and earthquake shock 

her heavy vengeance fell. 

O joyfulest May morning when before our 
guns went down 

The Inquisition priesthood and the dun- 
geon-making crown, 

While through red lights of battle our 
starry dawn burst out 3 



THE WAR. 559 

Swift as the tropic sunrise that doth with 
glory shout ! 

Be jubilant, free Cuba, our feet are on 
thy soil ; 

Up mountain road, through jungle growth 

our bravest for thee toil ; 
There is no blood so precious as their 

wounds pour forth for thee ; 
Sweet be thy joys, free Cuba — sorrows 

have made thee free. 

Nor thou, O noble nation, who wast so 

slow to wrath, 
With grief too heavy laden, follow in 

duty's path ; 
Not for ourselves our lives are ; not for 

thyself art thou ; 
The star of Christian ages is shining on 

thy brow. 

Rejoice, O mighty mother, that God hath 

chosen thee 
To be the Western warder of the islands 

of the sea ; 
He lifteth up, He caste th down, He is 

the King of kings, 
Whose dread commands o'er awe-struck 

lands are borne on eagles' wings. 

George E. Woodberry. 

SOLDIER TOMMY'S COMING. 

CHANGE th' sheets an' cool th' piller, 
Go an' buy a hunk o' ice, 
Squeeze th' lemons on th' sugar, 

Fix it up all cold and nice. 
Fryin' doughnuts, settin' biscuits, 
Ginger bread an' pancakes, too, 
Pies of apples, raisin cookies, 

Light as drips of drops of dew. 
Hurry up, th' time is speedin', 

Work ain't more'n a quarter done, 
Stove's a sizzlin', pot's a-bilin', 

Hustle, Jane; why don't you run? 
Rinse th' berries, peel potatoes, 

Grind th' coffee sweet an' brown, 
We ain't workin' harder' n others 

Everywhere about the town. I 
Shut th' door an' keep th' flies out, 

Wipe away that tear ! Be gay, 
Fer our Tom, our soldier Tommy, 
He's a-comin' home to-day. 



560 POETRY OF 

ONE SOLDIER DEAD. 

A FAIR young mother calmly read 
While one hand rocked the cradle 
bed 

Whereon her first-born slept away 
The twilight of a summer day. 
She carelessly the paper turned 
Till " Latest War News " she discerned : 
<l Our loss was small," the dispatches 
said — 

"A skirmish, and one soldier dead." 

They troubled not to give his name, 
Or e'en the troop from which he came; 
For who, rejoicing in success, 
Cares if there be one private less ? 
Only a soldier lying there, 
With blood upon his sunny hair, 
With no kind friend to raise his head, 
Or treasure the last words he said. 

O, happy mother, do you know 
That not so many years ago 
That soldier was a baby, too, 
With face as sweet and eyes as blue 
As those within yon cradle there ! 
And knew a mother's tender care, 
Who now must sit alone and weep 
Because he wakes not from his sleep. 

And other thousands also said : — 
" Only a private soldier dead," 
Without a passing thought that he 
Might one of nature's nobles be, 
Or that the words that line contained 
Would wreck a life that yet remained. 
His mother waits fair him in vain, 
For he, her only child, is slain. 

Jean Paul Wayne. 

JIM. 

BEFORE he 'listed folks' d laugh 
At Jim, 

An' sort o' pass a joke 'n' chaff 
At him; 

Am say 'at Jim was tarnal queer, 
An' vow he wuzn't right up here, 
An' §ort °' Uugh an' kind o' sneer 
At him ! 



THE WAR. 

But when they'd seen thet uniform 
On Jim, 

Why, hearts got somehow kind o' warm 
To him; 

An' folks jes' stood along th' route 
T' see Jim's regiment turn out, 
An' mebbe they didn't cheer 'n' shout 
Fer him ! 

An' then when news arriv' one day 
O' Jim, 

Why, everybody said " Hoo-ray !" 

Fer him. 

Fer Jim was right bang in th' fight, 
An' knockin' Spaniards left 'n' right, 
An' folks got thinkin' thet ther' night 
'Bout Jim. 

An' when a-marchin' home he come — 
Our Jim ! — 

Mebbe folks didn't make things hum 
Fer him ! 

They took Jim up 'n' made him mayor, 
An' run him fer th' gov'nor's chair, 
An' when Congress meets, why, Jim'll 
be there — 

Our Jim ! 

SHE DOETH WHAT SHE CAN. 

SHE sits alone in the window seat, 
Watching the soldiers who throng 
the street. 
A tear clings fast to her gentle eye, 
Her bosom heaves with a sudden sigh, 
And her slender fingers that clutch the 
sill 

Wave a proud adieu with a royal will. 
But her mouth in its motion never slacks 
O'er the gum she cheweth to pay the tax. 

There are women who go to the battle 
front, 

Women in hospitals bearing the brunt, 
Women who serve 'neath the Red Cross 
sign, 

Women whose mission seems half divine. 
But Annabel sits at the window high ; 
She cannot go where the bullets fly, 
But steadily onward through packs and 
packs 

She cheweth the gum to pay the ta& 



POETRY OF 

HOLD THE PHILIPPINES. 

WHY doth President McKinley, as the 
protocol he signs, 
Leave as undetermined still the future of 

the Philippines? 
We have brought the haughty Spaniard 

to his knees to sue for peace ; 
Are we only wise in battle ? Are we fools 

when fightings cease ? 
Shall we with a child's abandon throw 

what we have won away, 
Counting as of no advantage, this, our 

gateway to Cathay ? 
Yield again unto the foeman land whereon 

our boys have trod ; 
Land he could not hold against us ? Never, 
in the name of God ! 

WHO'S TO BLAME? 

SAYS Sternberg : " Ah me, 
I'm sure I hired doctors enough, 
And gave 'em qrinine and other stuff. 
'Tain' t me." 

Says Alger : t: Just see ! 
I sent 'steen million pounds of meat 
For the soldier boys to eat. 

'Tain't me." 

Says Shafter, says he : 
"My business down there was to fight, 
And not to see that the grub was right. 
'Tain't me." 

COLUMBIA TO CUBA. 

YES, Oh Sister Cuba, 
We heard your troubled call. 
We are coming, Sister Cuba, 

Yes, we arc coming, one and all. 
Our cleaving prows are flashing back the 
spray ; 

Iron arms, brave hearts, are speeding to 
the fr, y. 

No tyrant's iron hand 

Shall glean your jlorious soil ; 
Let every man his own command, 
Your humblest sons enjoy their toil. 
Iron beaks, dashing onward through the 
tide, 

Are bearing comfort to fair Cuba's side. 
36 



THE WAR. 561 

A ROUGH RIDER AT HOME. 

MY pa's a great Rough Rider, 
He was one of Teddy's men, 
And he fought before El Caney 

In the trenches and the fen. 
He came home sore and wounded, 

And I wish you'd see him eat; 
He's got an appetite, I guess, 
Is pretty hard to beat : 

It's eat and eat and eat 

And it's sleep and sleep and sleep, 
For ma won't let us make no noise, 

And so we creep and creep. 
O, we bade him welcome home 

And we're glad he wasn't killed — 
But, gee ! he's got an appetite 

That never will be filled. 

He says he caught the fever, 

And he had the ague, too ; 
And he kind o' got the homesicks 

And the waitin' made him blue. 
But when he reached the station 

And we saw him from the gate 
We were the happiest family 

You could find in all the State. 

WHITE AND BLACK. 

YOU call him "man and brother/* 
But when the trouble comes, 
When eager legions gather 

To the long roll of the drums ; 
When sad farewells are spoken 
And hearts are on the rack, 
When fond home ties are broken 
He must stand aside — he's black. 

And yet, on history's pages 

His race has made its mark. 
Black heroes filled the " crater " 

With their bodies stiff and stark. 
In honor England holds them, 

And rates the Englishman 
With Sikhs and fiery Ghurkas ; 

The terrors of Soudan. 

On many a bloody war path 

Through the wild and arid West, 

Hot on the murdering hostiles' trail 
Qur troopers black have pressed, 



562 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



Though racked by thirst and hunger 
Through scorching days and nights, 

Until they've struck their quarry 
And avenged the slaughtered whites. 

Then do the black race justice ; 

They're e ger for the fray, 
And in the reeking Cuban swamps 

They yet may save the day — 
Firm hands to sight the rifle, 

Spite the color of their skin. 
Though his head be white — our eagle 

Has black feathers in his wing. 

H. A. Roby. 

MARCHING TO CUBA. 

WE'RE going down to Cuba, boys, to 
battle for the right. 
We're going to show those Spaniards 
that we Yankee boys can fight, 
And when they see us coming they'll 
scatter left and right, 
When we march into Cuba. 

Hurrah, hurrah, we'll sound the jubilee, 
Hurrah, hurrah, boys, Cuba shall be 
free ; 

And so we'll sing the chorus, from Mt. 
Gretna to the sea, 
While we are marching to Cuba 

'Twas in Manila Bay, boys, our ships the 
foe did meet, 
We didn't need a hurricane to wreck 
the Spanish fleet, 
But just one Dewey morning and our 
vict'ry was complete, 
As we were maching to Cuba. 

In Santiago harbor Sampson has them 
bottled tight. 
Hobson put the cork in, and we think 
he did it right : 
And when they find they can't get out 
they'll have to stand and fight, 
When we march into Cuba. 

With Dewey, Schley and Sampson we 
need not have a fear, 
For they will guard the harbors while 
we attack the rear \ 



WVll plant our flag on Monro, and give 
one mighty cheer, 
When we march into Cuba. 

W. Gilbert Kayser. 

GOD BLESS OUR BOYS IN BLUE. 

Tune — " America. ' ' 

GOD bless our boys in blue, 
Loyal and brave and true, 
Oh, bless them all! 
Watch o'er them in Thy might, 
As they go forth to fight, 
To battle for the right, 
To stand or fall. 

Oh, be with every one, 
Each sturdy, gallant son, 

Who goes to war. 
Be Thou their guard and guide, 
Whatever may betide, 
Oh, be Thou by their side, 

As ne'er before. 

Anna Elizabeth Wilson. 

A TARDY PATRIOT. 

BEFORE the troops to war were gone, 
With beat of drum and martial tread, 
I scorned the gallant boys in blue, 
And to myself, contented, said : 
"An unjust strife. Why should one go 

To fight beneath the tropics' skies 
For half-bred negrr es ? " This my thought 
E'er I had seen fair Gertrude's eyes. 

"Why should we war against old Spain ? ' ' 

I loudly cried. " Can it be brave 
To bring a weaker nation to bay 

And cast our manhood in the grave? 
The cause is not worth while, forsooth; 

Red blood the wine that warfare sips : 
I care not for the draught," quoth I, 

Before I knew of Gertrude's lips. 

But when the troops came home from war 

And I saw Gertrude, eyes a-light, 
From ruby lips warm kisses throw 

To men in uniforms bedight ; 
A patriot, with fervor, then 

I changed my mind, as women do, 
With all my ardent heart I wished 

That I had been a soldier too. 



POETRY OF 

THE BANNER BETSEY MADE. 

The first American flag, including the 
thirteen stars and stripes, was made by 
Mrs. Betsey Ross, a Quaker lady of Phil- 
adelphia. 

WE have nicknamed it " Old Glory" 
As it floats upon the breeze, 
Rich in legend, song and story 
On the land and on the seas ; 
Far above the shining river, 

Over mountain, glen and glade 
With a fame that lives forever 
Streams the banner Betsey made. 

Once it went from her, its maker, 

To the glory of the wars, 
Once the modest little Quaker 

Deftly studded it with stars ; 
And her fingers, swiftly flying 

Through the sunshine and the shade, 
Welded colors bright, undying, 

In the banner Betsey made. 

When at last her needle rested 

And her cherished work was done 
Went the banner, love invested, 

To the camps of Washington ; 
And the glorious continentals 

In the morning light arrayed 
Stood in ragged regimentals 

'Neath the banner Betsey made. 

How they cheered it and its maker, 

They the gallant sons of Mars, 
How the}- blessed the little Quaker 

And her flag of stripes and stars ; 
'Neath its folds, the foemen scorning, 

Glinted bayonets and blade, 
And the breezes of the morning 

Kissed the banner Betsey made. 

Years have passed, but still in glory 

With a pride w r e love to see, 
Laureled with a nation's glory 

Waves the emblem of the free; 
From the rugged pines of Northland 

To the deep'ning everglade, 
In the sunny heart of Southland 

Floats the banner Betsey made. 



THE WAR. 563 

A protector all have found it 

And beneath it stands no slave, 
Freemen brave have died around it 

On the land and on the wave ; 
In the foremost froi-i of battle 

Borne by heroes not afraid, 
'Mid the musket's doomed rattle, 

Soared the banner Betsey made. 

Now she sleeps whose fingers flying 

With a heart to freedom true 
Mingled colors bright, undying — 

Fashioned stars and field of blue ; 
It will lack for no defenders 

When the nation's foes invade, 
For our country rose to splendor 

'Neath the banner Betsey made. 

T. C. Harbaugh. 

LOST HIS CHARM. 

WHEN first he came back from camp, 
She coddled and kissed and hugged 
him, 

And though he looked like a tramp, 
All over the town she lugged him. 

But now that he's spruced up and shaved, 
And shook those togs of yellow, 

She regrets the way that she raved, 
And she's got another fellow ! 

MARY DEAR IN NINETY=EIGHT. 

" Mary, dear, O Mary, sweet! 

Down at your little fairy feet — 
Nay, lassie, do not scornful start — 
I lay my fortunes and my heart, 

" If you will be my own, own wife, 
A dream of ease will be your life, 
And all that love and gold can do, 

Mary, dear, I'll do for you." 

" I scorn your heart, I scorn your gold 

1 have a sweetheart brave and bold, 
One of a battleship's brave crew, 
My sailor sweetheart tried and true. 

" He has no gold, but strong and leal, 
He fearlessly guards his country's weal. 
And as he loves his country so, 
I He'll love his own, own wife, I know 
M. Phelps Dawson. 



564 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED. 

A IS for Admiral, impassionate, cold, 
Who waits for instructions, and does 
as he's told. 
B stands for Brooklyn, commanded by 
Schley , 

The hottest of liners he takes on the fly. 
C is for Cuba, a tight little isle ; 

To get which we may have to fight quite 
a while. 

D is — yes, Dewey, a teacher of Spanish ; 
The first lesson caused all his pupils to 
vanish, 

E stands for Evans, who's never so happy 
As when there's a chance to get in 
something "scrappy." 
F is for Freedom, which means a great deal 
When your neck has been under a vile 
Spanish heel. 
G is for Germany, whose rude employees 
Should learn better manners ; be taught 
to say please. 
H stands for Heroes, on land and on sea, 
Who laid down their lives for their 
friends' liberty. 
Fs for Insurgents, who holler for aid ; 
Then eat up the rations and loaf in the 
shade. 

J is for Jones, Davy Jones, if you will, 
Whose lockers we've twice had occasion 
to fill. 

K stands for King, the youn^ King of 
Spain, 

Who's been led to regret what hap- 
pened the Maine 
L is for Long, who has great common- 
sense, 

And in whom the~ people place all con- 
fidence. 

M's for McKinley, we welcome the fact 
That he's handling this matter with 
very great tact. 
N is for Nelson, Nelson A. Miles, 

On whom we depend to o'ercome Span- 
ish wiles. 

O's the Oquendo, a powerful cruiser ; 
But on a long pig-hunt they managed 
to lose her. 
P's Porto Rico , the place had some forts, 
But, no doubt, ere this they've been 
knocked out of sorts. 



Q is for Queen, most anhappy of 'adies, 
Who fears, perhaps rightly, our visit to 
Cadiz. 

R's for Reporters; they're well to the 
fore, 

But they mustn't imagine they're run- 
ning this war. 
S is for Shafter, a man of great girth, 

In spite of which fact he is proving his 
worth. 

T stands for Toral, whose acted campaign 
Was played for the gallery over in 
Spam. 

U is for Union, the only cement 

To strengthen a State and disruptions 
prevent. 

V's for Vizcaya ; she made a great show, 
But proving a nuisance, we sent her 
below 

W is for Wainwright, whose motto must 
be 

" The greater the odds, the better for 
me/' 

X is the cross that is put against Spain, 
And means that she's out of the Blue 

Book again. 
Y's for the youngsters that sneaked to the 

front, 

And gave their poor mammas no end 
of a hunt. 

Z's for the zeal that has hall-marked this 
fight; 

This quality wins when stamped upon 
right. A. C. Needham. 

THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 

AT break of dawn Manila Bay 
A sheet of limpid water lay, 
Extending twenty miles away. 

Twenty miles from shore to shore, 
As creeping on a squadron bore 
As squadron never moved before. 

Majestic in its hidden might, 
It passed Corregidor at night, 
Inspired to battle for the right. 

And grandlv on the Flagship led, 
Six ships —01 ympia e'er ahead — 
With battle flags at each masthead 



POETRY OF 

The Baltimore and Raleigh true, 
The Petrel. Boston, Concord, too, 
Their flags of glory proudly flew. 

As early daylight broke upon 
The bay — before the rise of sun — 
Was seen the flash of opening gun ! 

Then every second heard the roar 
Of shell and shrapnel bursting o'er 
Our brave, undaunted Commodore ! 

" Hold our fire ! " he calmly said, 
As from the bridge he bravely led 
To death or glory on ahead ! 

And from his lips or from his hand 
But one direction, one command, 
" Follow the Flagship by the land.'* 

Full twenty minutes slowly crept 
Ere lightning from our turrets leapt, 
And pent-up hell no longer slept ! 

The Spanish fleet, a dozen strong, 
Was now in range, and haughty wrong 
Was swept by awful fire along. 

Explosions wild destruction brought 
'Mid flames that mighty havoc wrought, 
As either side in fury fought. 

So back and forth in angry might, 
The Stars and Stripes waved on the 
fight, 

'Mid bursting shells in deadly flight! 

The Spanish decks with dead were 
strewn, 

Their guns on shore were silenced soon, 
Their flags were down ere flush of noon. [ 

Their ships, their batteries on the shore 
Were gone to fight again no more — 
Their loss, a thousand men or more ! 

Dawned on the fleet that Dewey led 
A miracle, while Spaniards bled ; 
For on our side was not one dead ! 

The battle of Manila Bay 

From mind shall never pass away — 

Nor deeds of glory wrought that day ; 



THE WAR. 565 

For 'mid that battle's awful roar 
The Spanish pride, to rise no more, 
Was humbled by our Commodore. 

Corwin P. Ross. 

THE POET SOLDIER. 

HE wrote good poems all his life, 
And after twenty years of strife 
His name was simply Amos. 
He went to war and killed a Don, 
And now he's got brass buttons on, 
And now his name is famous. 

HARDSHIPS OF WAR. 

AT Santiago he had lumbago, 
At Tampa the fever and chills; 
Before El Caney the weather was ramy, 

And there he had other ills. 
He reached Camp Alger and got neuralgia, 

And at Montauk the fever yellow, 
But at home was the blow that laid him 
low, 

His girl had another fellow. 

CLIPS AND COMMENTS. 

IT is but a Spanish custom ; 
It was not the youngster's fault 
That he never had the training 

Which would help him earn his salt. 
And he couldn't raise a protest 

When to christen him they came, 
And they solemnly afflicted 

The poor infant with the name, 
"Alfonso Xin, Leon Ferdinand Maria 
James Isidore Pascal Antonio." 

And it's not at all surprising 

That in business of state, 
And in military matters 

All his people come too late. 
For it's likely to occasion 

An embarrassing delay 
When they rally up their cohorts, 

And they stop to shout " Hooray 
For Alfonso XIII, Leon Ferdinand 
Maria 

James Isidore Pascal Antonio !" 



566 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE WARRIOR'S RETURN. 

FROM the field of war I come, 
Sweet Marie ; 
Will you kiss me welcome home, 

Love to thee ? 
I am only skin and bones, 
All my sweetest songs are groans, 
And I am full of army prunes 
As can be. 

! I got it in the neck, 

Sweet Marie. 

1 am but a battered wreck, 

Don't you see? 
In the mud and rain I slept 
While the very heavens wept, 
And the buzzards vigil kept 

Over me ! 

When I 'listed I was fat, 

Sweet Marie ; 
Never was a Thomas cat 

Spry as me. 
I could lift a bar'l of beer, 
I could run like any deer, 
And there never was a tear 

In my e'e, 
Now I'm thinner than a ghost, 

Sweet Marie ; 
You could make a hitching post 

Out of me. 
Every joint that's in my frame 
Is with fever stiffness lame — 
Oh ! Gehenna was no name 

For the spree ! 

But I'm with you once again, 

Sweet Marie, 
Though you seem not to iden- 

Tifylme. 
Now that I am on my feet 
And will have a chance to eat, 
I'll accumulate more meat 

Than you see. 
From the bitter quinine pills, 

(Ugh! O! Gee!) 
And from Santiago chills 

I am free. 
Now I'll live almighty high, 
And I soon will be as spry 
As the boy you kissed good-by, 

Sweet Marie 



Sweet Marie, list to me. list to me, 

Sweet Marie. 
Though a living skeleton now you 
see, 

I have got the framework yet, 
And the meat I soon will get, 
We'll be happy yet, you bet, 

Swe-e-e-e-et Marie-e-e-e-e. 

THE FLAG AT AGUADORES. 

An Incident of the War. 

THE fleet came steaming up the coast 
With Sampson in the lead ; 
His guns well pointed, fore and aft, 
To meet an instant need. 



" Quick! signal to the Admiral, 

' Permission ask to bring 
That flag to earth ' " — the signal flew — 

But came no answering ! 

Again the Suawanee's signal waved 

Its fluttering, urgent plea, 
" Ah, read the answer, read it, man!" 

" Take three shots— only three." 

" Three shots to bring the Spaniard 
down : 

They're precious — yes, and few. 
Come, sight the good six-pounder now ; 
Way for Lieutenant Blue ! ' ' 

Boom ! roared the starboard rifle then ; 

All eyes were turned to shore, 
But still the Spanish banner waved 

More saucy than before. 



But little prospect then there was 
To meet the hoped-for fray, 

As Admiral Cervera's fleet 
Was land-locked in the bay. 

'Twas just off Aguadores fort 
When, on the bastions high, 

The Suawanee saw the Spanish flag 
Flung out against the sky. 

" Now it would be discourtesy," 

Said Delehanty then, 
" To pass it unsaluted by — 

We may not call again." 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 567 



Again the big gun's gleaming eye 
Flashed quickly o'er the seas : 

The wall was rent, but still the flag 
Was flaunting in the breeze. 

"Come, Blue," said Delehanty then, 
His brow with gloom o'ercast, 

1 1 The Suawanee has but one more shot — 
You must not miss the last." 

Again the rifle turned — the sight 

Was taken long and well. 
Crash ! spoke the gun ; the hills and shore 

Flung back the sounding knell. 

And as the smoke was upward blown 

Beyond the shaken main, 
The flag staff tottered from its hold ; 

Down dropped the flag of Spain. 

Then, bursting from the Yankee decks, 

A mighty cheer arose. 
It echoed to the shore and struck 

New terror to our foes. 

And as the echo died away, 

There, streaming in the sun, 
The flag-ship's signal fluttered out : 

•'•'Well done. Suawanee, well done!" 

Johx Jerome Rooney. 

OUR HEROES. 

Air — " Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys 
are Marching. ' ' 

T X the battle front you stood 

1 When the fierce onslaught was made, 
From the trenches on San Juan hill : 

But before the Spanish knew 

Our gallant boys in blue 
Were upon them in the trenches, brave 
and true. 

CHORUS. 

Welcome home, ye gallant heroes. 
Welcome home — yes, one and all. 
Wh :> went forth, like gallant men, to fight 
our battles again. 
In the cause of humanity. 

While encamped upon the field. 
Ready to fight and not to yield 



To any foreign foe or Spanish Don ; 
For our Yankee boys will fight 
In a cause that's just and right, 

And they're in it to a man with all their 
might. 

Some had fallen on the plain, 
Others with fevers they were slain, 
But their hearts were ever brave and 
true ; 

In mem'ry they shall last, 
Though their time on earth is passed. 
For they've gone to join the God of bat- 
tles in heaven anew. 

And our starry banner free, 

Shall float o'er America, 
For our government has no conquest in 
its plan : 

Porto Rico we shall keep, 

As indemnity Spain can't meet, 
To pay for lessons taught by Uncle Sam. 

THE MAINE TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP. 

NORTH, South and East and West the 
boys will stand abreast, 
At Uncle Sam's first call they will be 
there : 

A brave and misrhtv band, thev will come 
from all the land. 
At the summons they will spring from 
e very wh ere ! 

CHORUS. 

Tramp, tramp, tramp, soon we'll be 
marching. 
Cheer up ! we will get at Spain ! 
Soon our waiting will be past, and 
w T eTl have a chance at last 
To revenge the boys who went down 
with the Maine. 

Let McKinley give the sign, all the men 
will fall in line, 
The blue will cheer the gray, the gray 
the blue ! 

Everywhere they will unite, and together 
they will fight, 
To the honor of our country =ver true. 



568 POETRY OF 

From the cotton field they'll come at the 
tapping of the drum, 
From the cities of the North by thou- 
sands pour ; 
From the broad plains of the West they 
will fall in with the rest, 
All heroes brave and trusty to the core. 

Let it come whene'er it may, they'll be 
ready night or day 
To rally 'round Old Glory as of yore : 
And a million valiant men will go march- 
ing onward when 
The old man gives the signal for the 
war ! 

"GOD BLESS OUR SOLDIER BOYS." 

THEY daily throng the busy streets, 
Their sunburnt faces all unscarred, 
With smiles for ev'ry friend who greets, 

Their lives and fortunes still unmarred. 
We watch them in their uniforms, 

And like to hear their fun and noise, 
We say, because they braved war's storms: 
" God bless our gallant soldier boys !" 

They mingle with us once again, 

Their warm hands fondly clasp our own ; 
The boys who suddenly were men, 

Far older in their bravery grown. 
Their fresh young hearts are yet un- 
changed ; 

Just as of old they share our joys ; 
Though far and often they have ranged, 

God bless our faithful soldier boys ! 

They rallied round our nation's flag 

When came the call for volunteers. 
For all were ready, none would lag ; 

They went, regardless of our tears. 
Their letters are our dearest hoard, 

And unjust comment much annoys ; 
Each one is worthy of a sword, 

God bless our noble soldier boys ! 

For many know the heat of strife, 
The awful sound of shot and shell, 

The scenes that were with horrors rife, 
Of which some do not care to tell. 

Their silence, sadness, too, imparts, 
And present pleasure oft alloys ; 



THE WAR. 

Ah, still we say with grateful hearts: 
" God bless our fearless soldier boys !" 

Mrs. Findley Braden. 

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC. 

MINE eyes have seen the glory of the 
coming of the Lord, 
He is tramping out the vintage where the 

grapes of wrath are stored ; 
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his 
terrible swift sword ; 

His truth is marching on. 

CHORUS. 

Glory ! Glory Hallelujah ! Glory ! Glory ! 

Glory Hallelujah ! 
Glory ! Glory Hallelujah ! His truth is 

marching on. 

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a 

hundred circling camps, 
They have builded Him an altar in the 

evening dews and damps ; 
I can read his righteous sentence by the 

dim and flaring lamps ; 
His day is marching on. 

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished 
rows of steel ; 

As ye deal with my contemners, so with 
you my grace shall deal. 

Let the hero born of woman crush the ser- 
pent with his heel, 

Since God is marching on. 

He has sounded forth the trumpet that 

shall never call retreat ; 
He is sifting out the hearts of men before 

His judgment-seat ; 
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him ; 

be jubilant, my feet ! 

Our God is marching on. 

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born 

across the sea, 
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures 

you and me ; 
As He died to make men holy, let us die 
to make men free, 

While God is marching on. 

Julia Ward Howe. 



POETRY OF 

THE MAINE RfcD, WHITE AND BLUE. 

Air — "Red, White and Blue." 

LET us honor the dead of our nation, 
the sailors so brave and so true ; 
The lads who now sleep in the ocean, who 

died for the red, white and blue. 
The battleship Maine is their casket, their 

souls are with God in review, 
And widows and orphans are mourning 
the loss to the red, white and blue. 

CHORUS. 

Three cheers for the red, white and blue ! 
Three cheers for the sailor boys true ! 
Three cheers for our loyal White Squad- 
ron, 

And three for the red, white and blue ! 

The ironclad Maine at Havana, like a 
monarch of absolute rule, 

Undreaming of woe or disaster, undream- 
ing of knave or of tool, 

Lay at rest and at peace in the harbor, the 
stars watching o'er her brave crew, 

When death and destruction o'ertook her, 
and sullied the red, white and blue. 

CHORUS. 

Then honor the dead of her crew, 
Then honor the living so true ; 

Then honor the royal White Squadron, 
And cheer for the red, white and blue ! 

If Treachery's hand held the missile that 

shattered our noble ship Maine, 
America's grieved population will discover 

it, even in Spain ; 
And the God of our Fathers in justice to 

the cause of the brave and the true, 
Will guide us in wiping dishonor from our 

beautiful red, white and blue. 

Joseph Kerr. 

FROM THE RANKS. 

OF Cuba we sing and for Cuba we pray, 
And a ransom for Cuba we offer 
to-day; 

Our men give their manhood, our women 
their toil, 



THE WAR. 569 

For freedom for those whom the Spaniards 
despoil. 

Pale child of the tropics, you mourn not 
alone, 

A people is roused by your agonized moan ; 
And while widows and orphans in Cuba 

are weeping, 
Let them think not the heart of this nation 

is sleeping. 

Brave sons of Columbia, rise in your 
might 

And battle again for the weak and the 
right; 

Show despots abroad, with their menacing 
tone, 

That courage still lives 'neath our sinews 
and bone. 

When the giant of carnage takes step at 
your call, 

The firm earth will tremble, the springing 
grass fall. 

When with true hearts around us their 

faithful watch keeping, 
Let us think not the strength of our nation 

is sleeping. 

The proud flesh of Spain must the sabre 
cut feel, 

Their canker spot taste of our bayonet 
steel, 

And when guarding our ensign on billow 
or plain, 

Let this be our watchword — " Remember 

the Maine." 
May the flash of the rifle, the boom of the 

gun, 

Be the herald of victory soon to be won. 

Then, while death in the battle-cloud 
o'er them is sweeping, 

Will Spain say, " Lo, the arm of the na- 
tion is sleeping? " 

Our navy! How swiftly the star of its 
fame 

Has risen to gild with new lustre our 
name ! 

For we've proved to the foeman who faces 
our guns 

That the sea kings still live in our con- 
quering sons. 



570 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



Old Neptune exults, and his broad bosom 
swells, 

As new trophies are his at each shriek of 

our shells ; 
And as soldier and sailor their night watch 

are keeping, 
They sing low, " The foes of our nation 

are sleeping." 

Marian A. Ely. 



AN IMMORTAL DEED. 

THERE'S a gap in the dusky shadows 
Where the sky meets the dim coast- 
line, 

Where the Spaniard guards the harbor 
mouth 

With cannon, warship and mine. 
There's American men at sea to-night ; 
Look well how your searchlights shine. 

A hulk that glides in the shadows past 
By the warships grim and tall, 

A handful of men on a lonely deck, 
Their lives at their country's call : 

With a muttered cheer and a low " God 
speed," 
Then a silence over all. 

There's a cry and a shot from the Morro, 
" The American ship is near ! " 

"Quick! To your guns!" The snots 
ring fast, 
She's in the fairway clear. 

A rattle of chain and her anchors plunge. 
The end of her course lies here. 

Slow swings with the~ebb 'cross channel, 
The rudder post grates on the bar — 

Torpedoed, she sinks, and the sullen tide 
Laps close round stack and spar. 

There's a cluster of heads on the shot- 
scarred wave 
" Trust the luck of the Yankee tar ! " 

There's a niche in the temple of freedom, 
Where Somers and Cushing stand. 

There's a place on the pages of history 
For the names of this gallant band. 

And this deed shall live till time shall end 
In the annals of Yankeeland. 



THE SOLDIER'S DREAM. 

OUR bugles sang taps, and 'twas time 
to turn in 

Till morning, and drill, and whate'er 
might betide. 
Six under one blanket, and that pretty 
thin ; 

And hardtack and bacon the lining in- 
side. 

The menu to-morrow the same as to 
date — 

Just coffee and hardtack and bacon, et 
cet. 

Et cet. stands for beans, when we're 
smiled on by fate, 
And the force commissarial doesn't 
forget. 

While I snuggled that night in the midst 
of the heap 
(Quite thankful my turn on the out- 
skirts had passed, 

For we in the middle lie warm, and can 
sleep) 

A vision perplexing my slumbers har- 
assed. 

It seemed that I stood in the camp by 
myself, 

And lo, near at hand;, was a big apple 
pie; 

But as I advanced, there appeared the 
same elf 

Whose lips I had touched in the dear 
by and by. 

The girl ? Or the pie ? The sweet pie ? 
Or sweet girl ? — 
The charms of the two for supremacy 
fought. 

Was ever a soldier with brain so awhirl ! 
Before me was realized my innermost 
thought. 

Which first? Here were waiting a pie 

and a kiss. 
The lass was so fair ! And the pie was 

fresh baked ! — 
But ere I accomplished the acme of 

bliss 

A comrade turned over, and then I 
awaked. 



POETRY OF 

THE HERO DOWN BELOW. 

IN the awful heat and torture 
Of the fires that leap and dance 
In and out the furnace doors that never 
close, 

On in silence he must work, 
For with him there's ne'er a chance 
On his brow to feel the outer breeze that 
blows. 

For they've locked him in a room, 

Down below, 
In a burning, blazing tomb, 

Down below, 
Where he cannot see the sky, 
Cannot learn in time to fly, 
When destruction stalketh nigh, 

Down below. 

Though his name is never mentioned, 
Though we see or know him not, 

Though his deeds may never bring him 
worldly fame, 
He's a man above the others — 
And the bravest of the lot — 

And the hero of the battle, just the same. 

He's the man who does the work, 

Down below, 
From the labor does not shirk, 

Down below, 
He is shoveling day and night, 
Feeding flames a-blazing bright, 
Keeping up a killing fight, 

Down below. 

MISTER SOJER MAN. 

I AIN'T got time ter fool wid you, 
Mister Sojer Man ; 
Never did look good in blue, 

Mister Sojer Man. 
'Sides dat, I got my wuk ter do — 
Feed myse'f en fambly, too; 
Ain't got time ter fool wid you, 
Mister Sojer man ! 

Go 'long now en fight yo' fight, 

Mister Sojer Man : 
Fling dem bombshells lef ' en right, 

Mister Sojer Man. 
Got ter hoe dat cotton white, 
Keep dat nutgrass out er sight ; 
Go 'long now, en fight yo' fight. 

Mister Sojer man ! 



THE WAR. 571 

THE EIGHT YANKEE SEAMEN. 

WE have read of the noble six hundred 
Who rode to the gate of hell ; 
How cannon roared right and left of them, 
And many a noble man fell. 

They were ordered, and each did his duty; 

A soldier must always obey — 
But the volunteer eight Yankee seamen 
Have eclipsed the six hundred to-day. 

There was death both below and above 
them, 

Torpedoes and bullets and shell ; 
They steamed from our fleet in the midst 
of it, 

And their comrades wished them fare- 
well. 

God guarded these kings of the ocean, 
He honored the brave and the true ; 
The nation salutes to their honor; 
The enemy honored them, too. 

Edward G. Draper. 

PEACE. 

THE work is wrought ; the cannon's roar 
On sea or land is heard no more; 
The battle's rage and tumult cease 
In songs of victory and peace. 

| The Heaven-appointed task is done; 
The cause for which we fought is won ; 
And Cuba Libre, fairest gem, 
Is set in Freedom's diadem. 

The islands of the sea rejoice ; 
The floods lift up their mighty voice ; 
From shore to shore the anthems rise — 
A nation's grateful sacrifice. 

Manila's waters, blue and broad, 
Reflect the righteousness of God ; 
And Santiago's wreck-strewn shore 
Resounds His praise forevermore. 

Long as the stars shall shine o'erhead, 
In deathless fame shall live the dead — 
Their country's glory and renown 
Their fadeless, everlasting crown. 

The morning breaks ! the shadows flee ! 
Christ's kingdom comes on land and sea; 
The rule of love, the reign of good — 
The whole round world one brotherhood. 

Benjamin Copeland, 



572 POETRY OF 

OUR AMERICAN WOMEN. 

THE maid who binds her warrior's 
sash 

With smile that well her pain dissem- 
bles, 

The while beneath her drooping lash 
One starry tear-drop hangs and trem- 
bles, 

Though Heaven alone records the tear, 
And Fame shall never know her story. 

Her heart has shed a drop as dear 
As e'er bedewed the field of glory ! 

The wife who girds her husband's sword, 

Mid little ones who weep or wonder, 
And bravely speaks the cheering word, 

What though her heart be rent asunder, 
Doomed nightly in her dreams to hear 

The bolts of death around him rattle, 
Hath shed as sacred blood as e'er 

Was poured upon the field of battle ! 

The mother who conceals her grief 

While to her breast her sons he presses, 
Then breathes a few brave words and 
brief, 

Kissing the patriot brow she blesses, 
AVith no one but her secret God 

To know the pain that weighs upon 
her, 

Sheds holy blood as e'er the sod 

Received on Freedom's field of honor ! 

Thomas Buchanan Read. 

MARCH OF THE DEAD BRIGADE. 

NO sound disturbs the drowsy dawn, 
As forms the dead brigade ; 
Its silent ranks, in serried lines, 
Glide onward toward the springing pines, 
All phantoms in parade. 

Their steps bend not the drooping corn. 

These warriors all are ghosts. 
In rank and file, with solemn tread, 
Their captains marching at the head, 

Move on these silent hosts. 

From out the tented camp of death, 
Their flag of peace displayed, 



THE WAR. 

With footfall soft as dew at morn, 
These cohorts sweep the bending corn, 
Where battle once was laid. 

The mark of God's eternal peace 

Their countenances bear; 
And freed from all unholy hate, 
They shine with that exalted state 

Which heaven's angels share. 

Thomas S. Denison. 

THE MAN WHO COOKS THE GRUB. 

WE have read m song and story 
Of " the man behind the gun," 
He is given all the glory 

Of the battles that are won; 
They are filling up the papers 

With his apotheosis, 
And they tell about his capers 

While the shells above him hiss. 
But behind the grimy gunner, 

Steadfast through the wild hubbub, 
Stands a greater god of battles — 
'Tis the man who cooks the grub. 

When the sky is rent with thunder 

And the shell screams through the air, 
When some fort is rent asunder 

And Destruction revels there, 
When the men in line go rushing 

On to glory or to woe 
With the maddened charges crushing 

Heroes who are lying low, 
There is one but for whose labors 

There could be no wild hubbub, 
And the greatest god of battles 

Is the man who cooks the grub. 

What of ships with armor plating? 

What of castles on the heights? 
What of anxious captains waiting 

While the careful gunner sights? 
What of all the long-range rifles? 

What of men with valiant hearts ? 
These were but impotent trifles, 

But inconsequential parts 
Of the whole, without the fellow 

Who must scour, scrape and scrub — 
For the greatest god of battles 

Is the man who cooks the grub. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



573 



THE TIN SOLDIER. 

I N the days of peace, of a peace now fled. 
On the hardened pave of a city street, 
Ringing clear, came the measured tread 
And the rhythmic swing of the march- 
ing feet, 

Swinging along in their brave array. 
While the cynic smiled his smile of 
gall- _ 

"They're babies out lor a holiday, 

They're only tin soldiers; that is all." 

From the lakes to the gulf the war drum 
beats, 

While the bugle sounds for the call to 
death. 

And men surge thick in the city streets, 
While their cheeks burn hot with the 

war god's breath. 
For the blood mounts high in the fevered 

veins 

At the call to arms for a righteous blow : 
Though the field shows red where the war 
god reigns, 
Yet the same tin soldier is the first to go. 

In the sullen roar of the cannonade, 
'Mid bursting bombs and the shriek of 
shell, 

As gallant a charge as was ever made 
Through the flame-lit pit of a flaring 
hell; 

Mowed as the forest before the fire, 
The bulldog merged in his master, man, 

On with a courage that cannot tire — 
The alleged tin soldier is in the van. 

The ghostly beams of the moon shine 
down 

On a ghastly heap of the mangled slain, 
And it lights a face that is strong and 
brown. 

And a shattered form that held soul and 
brain ; 

And the all that is left of that splendid 
whole, 

Touched bv the moon in the midnight 
sky, 

Tells at the morning's muster roll 

That the brave tin soldier knew how to 
die! 



WE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY. 

LIKE a dark cloud of warning our fleet 
rolls out to sea — 
Rolls out upon the ocean to make a peo- 
ple free; 

Across the raging waters behold the 

lightning's flash, 
Across the deep's mad billows hear the 
thunders crash ! 

Once more the nation rises, a giant strong 
and bold. 

To strike the blow for freedom, in song 

and story told; 
Let kings turn pale with anger, if angry 

they must be, 
We are the sons of freemen, we fight for 
liberty. 

Let others war for plunder — unholy be 

their fight; 
Although we are the mighty, we fight but 

for the right ; 
God bless our arms and armies upon the 

sea and land, 
And may the hand that guides them have 
hold of Thine Own Hand ! 

Lee Fairchild. 

THE SHIPS ARE SAILING HOME. 

SPEED forth the tidings through the 
land, 

From prairied plain to rock-girt strand, 

And o'er the Southern foam — 
Safe from the conflict's wreck and brawl, 
All smoke-begrimed but victors all, 
The ships come sailing home ! 

I From Santiago's, reddened sea 
The rolling billows carry free 

The news to farthest Maine— 
The stately ships are drawing nigh, 
Whose topmost peaks the signals fly 
That wrought such woe to Spain. 

Cheers for their deeds of valor done, 
Cheers for the man behind the gun; 

Let all the banners fly. 
Welcome to Sampson's men of pride. 
Cheers for the Brooklyn's bettered side, 
For Cook and dauntless Schlev ! 



574 POETRY OF 

Let Texas boast of Philip's name, 
While Indiana joins th' acclaim 

With Taylor bold and brave; 
The Iowa with Evans, see, 
Whose heroes for humanity 

Risked death the foe to save. 

Oh, who can number every name, 
Sigsbee, the Gloucester, Wainwright's 
fame 

And hers, so dearly won ; 
Cheers for her fight, her journey's length, 
God send her captain health and strength, 

Clark and the Oregon ! 

And give a thought to them to-day 
'Neath tropic skies, 'mid storm and fray, 

A weary length who roam; 
How will the cheers dwell far and wide, 
When o'er the broad Pacific's tide 

The ships come sailing home ! 

Dorothy L. Morton. 



HEROES OF WAR AND PEACE. 

AY, that is a story that takes one's 
breath, 

How the men rowed out in the face of 
death. 

Rowed as calmly as fishermen may 
Who haul their nets at the break of day. 

But never was fish net hauled in the wea- 
ther 

That rifle and cannon and shell together, 

Rained on those saflors who drew from 
its bed 

The wise sea serpent and crushed its head. 

Heroes of war are they! Song and story 
Shall add their names to the list of glory. 

But where is the story, and where is the 
song 

For the heroes of peace and the martyrs 
of wrong? 

They fight their battles in shop and mine; 
They die at their post and make no sign. 



THE WAR. 

And the living envy the fortunate dead 
As they fight for the pittance of butter- 
less bread. 

They herd like beasts in a slaughter pen; 
They live like cattle and suffer like men. 

Why, set by the horrors of such a life, 
Like a merry-go-round seems the battle's 
strife ; 

And the open sea and the open boat, 
And the deadly cannon with bellowing 
throat, 

Oh, what are they all with death thrown 
in, 

To the life that has nothing to lose or win — 

The life that has nothing to hope or gain 
But ill-paid labor and beds of pain ? 

Fame, where is your story, and where is 
your song 

For the martyrs of peace and the victims 
of wrong ? 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 

A BALLAD OF THE ARMADA. 

(1588-1898.) 

THEN sailed the Armada in its pride, 
Oh, whistle ye up the winds, my lad ! 
And stood to sea with the ebb of tide 
With twice ten thousand men inside. 
And the leader laughed, " Full luckless 
they 

Who meet us on our invincible way." 
Oh, whistle ye up the winds ! 

And they dropt away from the friendly 

coasts 

Oh, list to the shriek in the shrouds, 
my lad ! 

But the heavens made light of their idle 

boasts : 

For they reckoned without the Lord of 
Hosts. 

And the storm soon smote them hip and 
thigh. 

And the billows, wreck-laden, hurried by. 
Oh, list to the shriek in the shrouds ! 



POETRY OF 

They struggled ahead in the stormy sea, 
D'ye hear the roar of the guns, my lad? 
Till they met that goodly company, 
Drake and Hawkins and Frobisher, three 
Sea scourges they and none their peer. 
With Howard they harried the Spanish 
rear. 

D'ye hear the roar of the guns ? 

Then fled Castile in sorry array ; 

Oh, it's turn the tiller for home, my 
lad! 

At Flamborough Head came black dis- 
may : 

In Scottish seas 'twas the devil to pay 
And their souls weren't worth a beggar's 
price 

For Fate had played them with loaded 
dice, 

Oh, it's turn the tiller for home ! 

Time counts three hundred years and more 

Oh, carry the news to Spain, my lad ! 
Since the besom of wrath swept the ocean 
floor. 

And England showed Philip the open 
door, 

But the sons of the old sea dogs still wait 
The ancient foe at the Western gate. 
Oh, carry the news to Spain ! 

And we stand as they did in those days 
gone by. 

Oh, remember the loss of the Maine, 
my lad ! 

Ready for country to do or die ; 
Humanity's sake our only cry, 
Full just our cause, inspired by right, 
Boldly we wait the test of might. 

Oh, remember the loss of the Maine ! 

Harvey Maitland Watts. 



WHAT SPAIN LACKS. 




HEY say Spain's schools are few and 
poor, and so 



It isn't strange in war she's very slow : 
She lacks our teachers, wise, profound, 
acute, 

To teach her young ideas how to shoot. 



THE WAR. 575 

FALL IN LINE. 

HARK the drum and bugle call, 
Fall in line. 
Sister States both great and small 

Fall in line. 
On the land and on the sea 
Let the ready watchword be, 
Fall in line. 

Veterans of the Gray and Blue, 

Fall in line. 
Sons of veterans strong and true, 

Fall in line. 
Soldiers, sailors, one and all, 
Hearken to your country's call, 

Fall in line. 

Heard ye well the vaunt of Spain ? 

Fall in line. 
Heard ye how they sank the Maine ? 

Fall in line. 
Heard ye Cuba's mortal cry, 
Floating upward to the sky ? 

Fall in line. 

Let the world our purpose know, 

Fall in line. 
Soon to rout the nation's foe, 

Fall in line. 
Cuba free from shore to shore, 
Spain shall rule our seas no more : 

Fall in line. 

Ruth Raymond. 

TO AMERICA. 

WICTORY! The roaring guns 
V Are hushed and peace again 
Dawns for the hopeless ones 

Cursed by the rule of Spain. 
Mother ! Thy noble sons 

Gave not their blood in vain, 

For, where in Earth's domain 
Freedom's fair banners fly, 

There must the flag remain, 

Guarding the noble slain 
Those who have fought to die. 
Guardian of Truth and Right ! 

Land of the brave and free ! 
Into the realms of night 
Bear the glorious light 

God giveth thee. 

N. Allen Stockton. 



576 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE SONG AT SANTIAGO. 

BENEATH the gathering shades of 
night a dying soldier lay, 
While still on Santiago's height the storm 

of death held sway. 
" Is that a song of home?" he said, " or 

sound of angel throng, 
I hear beneath the crash of guns ? Oh ! 
listen ! Hear that song : 

(Softly in the distance.) 
"The Star Spangled Banner in triumph 
shall wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of 
the brave." 

A lull fell on the field of strife, and by 

the hea'ed guns 
The panting gunners bowed their heads, 

devout as hooded nuns ; 
And over rifle pit and trench there spread 

a sudden calm. 
The ramparts of the foe were hushed to 

hear the freemen's psalm : 
"The Star Spangled Banner, oh, long 

may it wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of 

the brave." 

Then along the line there rang the an- 
swering cheer on cheer, 

And many a soldier joined the song he 
never more should hear ; 

The boys in blue, who bore the blunt of 
battle all day long, 

Had won the height, and through the 
night sent back the victors' song: 

"The Star Spangled Banner, oh, long 
may it wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of 
the brave." 

O, fair Columbia, wisely wield thy scep- 
tre so divine ; 

No regal despot ever wore a diadem like 
thine ; 

Its jewels are thy children's hearts, the 

love of all the free ; 
The living and the dying join in love and 

praise to thee. 
" Oh, thus be it ever when freemen shall 

stand 



Between their loved land and wild war's 
desolation ; 
Blest with victory and peace, may the 
heaven -rescued land 
Praise the power that has made and 
preserved us a natton ! 
Then conquer we must, when our cause it 
is just, 

And this be our motto : ' In God is our 
trust;' 

And the Star Spangled Banner forever 
shall wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home 
of the brave !" 

George Taylor. 



NEW BATTLE HYMN OF THE RE= 
PUBLIC. 

IN the solemn hush of midnight, 
We have seen the war clouds meet ; 
We have heard the burst of battle, 
We have felt its lightning heat ; 
We have stilled our heart's loud tumult, 
While the storm came fast and fleet ; 
For the Right is leading on. 

We have heard an echo ringing, 
Far and faint along the shore ; 

We have thrilled as it drew nearer, 
I' was the howling wolves of war ; 

Lo ! The pack is close upon us, 
And the hour of peace is o'er; 
But the Right is leading on. 

We have lit the lamp of Freedom, 
And her light must not grow pale ; 

We have ushered in a dawning 
Which mankind shall gladly hail; 

May the God who thus hath led us 
Let our triumphs still prevail; 
For the Right is leading on. 

We shall pause before the conflict, 

May a solemn silence reign ; 
We have met in Life's great bivouac, 

We may never meet again ; 
God be with us, God protect us, 

While the angels say amen, 

And the Right is leading on 

Effie Duggan. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



577 



A WINNING COMPANY. 

EF gran' paw was a soldier now 
He'd show 'em what to dc ; 
You ought to come an' listen how 
He talks to me and Sue. 

He tells us all about the days 

He led his gallant men, 
And all about the different ways 

He won the battles then. 

An' ev'ry night when paw comes in 
An' says the fight's begun, 

He tells what they could do to win 
Er what they ought to done. 

An' paw he laugh and looks at me 
An' says we'd surely win it 

If gran' paw led a company 
An' Sue an' me was in it. 

BEFORE HAVANA. 

THE ships swing at the harbor gate. 
The pennons flutter in the breeze, 
An idle line they toss and wait 

Upon those hot and torpid seas. 
The sun-glare gilds the metal bright, 

From turrets dark the cannon frown, 
As through the day and through the night 
They watch before Havana town. 

The loyal hearts the time may drag, 

As chafes the ship on anchor chain, 
They long beneath the starry flag 

To raze the walls of haughty Spain, 
But dark and frowning at the gates, 

Each mighty ship swings up and down, 
And, ready on the instant waits 

In sight of old Havana town. 

TRIUMPHANT PEACE WITH HONOR. 

BOOM, cannon, boom, to all the winds 
and waves ! 
Clash out, glad bells from every rocking 
steeple ! 

Banners advance with triumph, bend 

your staves ! 
And from every mountain peak 
Let beacon fire to answering beacon 

speak ; 

37 



Kathadin tell Monadnock, Whiteface 
he, 

And so leap on in light from sea to sea, 
Till the glad news be sent 
Across a kindling continent, 

Making earth feel more firm and air 
breathe braver. 

She that lifts up the manhood of the poor, 
She of the open soul and open door. 
With, room about her hearth for all 
mankind, 

The fire is dreadful in her eyes no more, 
From her bold front the helm she doth 
unbind, 

Sends all her handmaid armies back to 
spin, 

And bids her navies that so lately hurled 
Their crashing battle, hold their thun- 
ders in, 

Swimming like birds of calm along the 
unharmful shore. 
No challenge sends she to the elder 
World, 

That looked askance and hated ; a light 
scorn 

Plays o'er her mouth, as round her 
mighty knees 
She calls her children back and waits the 
morn 

Of nobler day, enthroned between her 
subject seas. 

James Russell Lowell. 

THE OLD LANGUAGE AGAIN. 

I'VE learnt a lot o' Spanish words, 
I've got so I kin tell 
'Bout " ultimatums," " protocols," 

An' "armistice," as well. 
But joyously I hail the time 
When I kin rest my brain 
Byaskin' "How's the price of wheat?" 
An' "What's the chance o' rain?" 

Old friends is best. These recent themes 

Were dazzlin', it is true. 
The clash of steel — the roar of guns — 

They thrilled us through an' through. 
But swords may turn to ploughshares now, 

In comfort once again 
We'll query, " How's the price o' wheat?" 

An' " What's the chance o' rain ?' 



578 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE NATION'S DEAD AT SANTIAGO. 

BENEATH the turf on Cuba's soil their 
sacred ashes lie, 
The soft, warm breeze from Southern 
climes sweeps o'er them with a sigh , 
The palm and high palmetto, gently 

drooping where they sleep, 
Xow o'er our fallen heroes cast their 
mantling shadows deep. 

The cannon's roar and battle cry no more 
shall pierce the air, 

But birds' melodious trilling rise in sweet- 
est cadence there ; 

The music as of waters, rushing o'er their 
pebbly bed, 

Now swell kind Nature's harmony around 
the sleeping dead. 

Their names in polished lustre now are 

carved on every heart ; 
Their epitaph should ever be "They nobly 

did their part ; ' ' 
The toil, the strife, and danger did but 

thrill each manly breast, 
And fire their hearts with greater zeal to 

do their gallant best. 

There be dear ones in the Northland who 

these sleeping heroes mourn. 
We see them pale with anguish, yea, with 

aching sorrow worn ; 
Bethink ye, sad and des'late ones, these 

sons, thy noble slain, 
Upon a brighter morning, ye will fondly 

greet again. 

Bethink ye 'twas for Freedom that your 

glorious ones have died. 
That by their mighty efforts they have 

saved the nation's pride ; 
Be calm, the God of Battles, sure will 

make His judgment plain, 
And thy sacrifice shall never, no never be 

in vain. 

In Fame's proud temple written is the 

record of their deeds , 
Their names shall oft be sounded where 

the path to glory leads ; 



'Twill be told in martial story how the 

foe before them reeled, 
And the tyrant's yoke was broken on El 

Caney's bloody field. 

M. Loudon Hyndman. 

HER HEART IS TRUE. 

TALKIN' 'bout Mister Hobson, that 
went down under the sea, 
He may be a-kissin' of all the gals, but 

he ain't a-kissin' of me ! 
I don't kiss none but my feller — he's jest 

as sweet as kin be — 
An 7 talkm' 'bout Mister Hobson — he ain't 
a-kissin' of me ! 

Talkin' 'bout Mister Hobson— I reckon 

he's good an' grand; 
But he ain't as good on the ocean as my 

feller is on the land 
I don't kiss none but my feller — no matter 

what Hobson may be ; 
He may kiss all the gals in the country, 

but he ain't a-kissin' of me ! 

Talkin' 'bout Mister Hobson — I reckon 

that he's all right, 
But he can't get me fer a pardner when 

my feller's to dance that night. 
Let him kiss all the gals in the country — 

they're kissin' him mighty free — 
But I'd "jest like to tell Mr. Hobson that 

he ain't a-kissin' of me ! 

THE ABSENT BOY. 

THEY miss him in the orchard where 
the fruit is sunning over, 
And in the meadow where the air is 
sweet with new-mown hay, 
And all about the old farm which knew 
him for a lover, 
From the early seedtime onward till the 
crops were piled away. 

They miss him in the village, where no- 
thing went without him, 
AVhcre to-day the young folks' parties 
are dull and incomplete ; 
They cannot just explain it. there was 
such a charm about him, 
The drop of cheer he always brought 
made common daylight sweet. 



POETRY OF 

And now he's gone to Cuba, he's fighting 
for the nation ; 
He's charging with the others, a lad in 
army blue , 
His name is little known yet, but at the 
upland station, 
They all are sure you'll hear it before 
the war is through. 

And when you talk of battles, and scan 
the printed column, 
His regiment's the one they seek, his 
neighbors think and care ; 
The more they do not speak it, their looks 
grow grave and solemn, 
For somewhere in the thick of the strife, 
they know, their boy is there. 
Margaret E. Sangster. 

FOR HUMANITY. 

FLING out 4 ' Old Glory ' ' to the breeze, 
unfurl it once for all, 
Beat the long roll upon the drums, and 

sound the bugle call ; 
From North and South the patriots now 

are gathering to the fight, 
To wield the sword of Justice for human- 
ity and right. 

The sons of sires who wore the blue, and 
the sires who wore the gray, 

Beneath our starry banner now, are march- 
ing to the fray ; 

Together they are stepping to the music 
of the band, 

Where " Yankee Doodle " mingles with 
the strains of " Dixie Land." 

No greed for conquest leads them on, no 

sordid hope of gain, 
But the wail of woman's anguish, and the 
i cry of children's pain 
The call of helpless innocents, beneath a 

southern sky, 
Torn from their fair and fertile fields, and 

left to starve and die. 

Long has our nation listened to that wild, 

despairing cry, 
But at last our gallant soldier boys are 

sending a reply j 



THE WAR. 579 

No more shall Cuba groan beneath the 

proud oppressor's wrong, 
For they're marching to the rescue now, 

a hundred thousand -strong. 

And when by might of truth and right, 

the heaven-appointed band 
Have driven all the tyrant horde from off 

the bleeding land, 
Then smiling Peace, with tender touch, 

will heal war's crimson scars, 
And Cuba's flag shall float beside " Old 

Glory's" Stripes and Stars. 

Lucius Perry Hills. 

HONOR THE BRAVE. 

HONOR the deeds of heroes done 
In battles fought and victories won 
By freedom's sons o'er land and sea, 
With loud acclaim our greetings be. 

Who never faltered at the call, 
But bravely answered once and all, — 
The call that made dark Cuba free, 
And led the way to liberty. 

What though in death's eternal sleep, 
With foeman brave some silence keep, 
Their fame will ever cherished be 
While time shall last and memory. 

Then stifle not one note of praise 
When you your highest anthems raise 
To him whose blessing did attend, 
Who from beginning saw the end. 

W. R. Evans. 

THE DOVE CAME BACK 

WHERE Dewey might have thundered 
forth 

Unto Manila's doom, 
Where brave Cervera sped away 

To give our Schley more room, 
Where Teddy tore the trocha down 

And up the treacherous hill 
Led his intrepid millionaires 

Along with " Mustang Bill," 
Official quiet reigns supreme, 

War's lurid horrors cease, 
And o er the scattered pieces 

Cooes the snowy dove ot peace. 



580 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



IN MANILA BAY. 

ON the broad Manila Bay 
The Spanish cruisers lay, 
In the shelter of their forts upon the 
shore ; 

And they dared their foes to sail 
Thro' the crashing iron hail 

Which the guns from decks and battle- 
ments would pour. 

All the harbor ways were mined, 
And along the channel blind 

Slept the wild torpedoes, dreaming 
dreams of wrath. 
Yea ! the fiery hates of hell 
Lay beneath the ocean's swell, 

Like a thousand demons ambushed in 
the path. 

Breasting fierce Pacific gales, 
Lo ! a little squadron sails, 

And the Stars and Stripes are floating 
from its spars, 
It is friendless and alone, 
Aids and allies it has none, 

But a dauntless chorus sing its daunt- 
less tars : 

"We're ten thousand miles from home; 
Ocean's wastes and wave and foam 
Shut us from the land we love so far 
away. 

We have ne'er a friendly port 
For retreat as last resort, 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain in 
their own bay. 

'* They have mines beneath the sea, 
They have forts upon their lee, 

They have everything to aid them in 

the fray ; 
But we'll brave their hidden mines, 
And we'll face their blazing lines ; 
Yes! We'll beard the ships of Spain in 

their own bay. 

" If we're worsted in the fight, 

We shall perish in the right — 

No hand will wipe the dews of death away. 

The wounded none will tend, 

For we've not a single friend ; 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain in 
their own bay. 



" No ironclads we sail, 
Only cruisers light and frail, 

With no armor plates to turn the shells 
away. 

All the battleships now steer 
In another hemisphere, 

But we'll beard the ships of Spain in 
their own bay. 

" Ho ! Remember now the Maine ! 
Up ! And smite the ships of Spain ! 
Let them not forget for years this first 
of May ! 

Though hell blaze up from beneath, 
Forward through the cannon's breath, 
When Dewey leads into Manila Bay." 

There, half-way round the world, 
Swift and straight the shots were hurled, 
And a handful of bold sailors won the 
day. 

Never since earth was begun 
Has a braver deed been done 

Than when Dewey sailed into Manila 
Bay. 

God made for him a path 
Thro' the mad torpedoes' wrath, 

From their slumbers never wakened 
into play. 

When dawn smote the east with gold, 
Spaniards started to behold 

Dewey and his gallant fleet within 
their bay. 

Then from forts and warships first 
Iron maledictions burst, 

And the guns with tongues of flame 
began to pray ; 
Like demons out of hell 
The batteries roar and yell, 

While Dewey answers back across the 
bay. 

O Gods ! it was a sight, 

Till the smoke, as black as night, 

Hid the fire-belching ships from light 
of day. 

V/hen it lifted from the tide, 
Smitten low was Spanish pride, 

And Dewey was the master of their bay. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



581 



Where the awful conflict roared, 
And red blood in torrents poured, 

There the Stars and Stripes are waving 
high to day. 
Dewey ! Hero strong and grand ! 
Shout his name thro' every land ! 

For he sunk the ships of Spain in their 
own bay. 

Charles Wadsworth, Jr. 

THE CHINAMAN IN THE NAVY. 

ME be with Dewey on the shippee, 
Me Dewey all me can ; 
Me yell like hellee, ki, yi hippee, 

Me fight like Melican man. 
Me no like Dutch, he too much flippee, 

Him all the same big ham; 
Me no like Spanish, too much lippee, 
Me like Melican man. 

Me no afraid of shellee hittee, 

Me shoottee all me can ; 
Me helpee capture Spanish cittee, 

Me fight like Melican man. 
Me killee Spanish; me no pittee, 

Me donttee give a dlamn ; 
Me drinkee, smokee, chewee, spittee, 

Me be like Melican man. 

Dewey likee us velly muchee, 

Cause Chinee, he no run ; 
But Dewey, he no likee Dutchee, 

They gettee near his gun. 
Me fightee allee same for Dewey, 

Me habee plentee fun; 
Me drinkee, smokee, cursee, chewee, 

Me fight like son-of-a-gun. 

THE SOUTH AND THE FLAG. 

UP with the banner of the free ! 
Its stars and stripes unfurl, 
And let the battle beauty blaze 

Above a startled world. 
No more around its towering staff 

The folds shall twine again, 
Till falls beneath its righteous wrath 
The gonfalon of Spain. 

That flag with constellated stars 
Shines ever in the van ! 



And, like the rainbow in the storm, 

Presages peace to man. 
For still amid the cannon's roar 

It sanctifies the fight, 
And flames along the battle lines, 

The emblem of the Right. 

It seeks no conquest — knows no fear ; 

Cares not for pomp or state ; 
As pliant as the atmosphere, 

As resolute as Fate. 
Where'er it floats, on land or sea, 

No stain its honor mars, 
And Freedom smiles, her fate secure, 

Beneath its steadfast stars. 

H. L. Flash. 

GUARD THE RED CROSS. 

GOD guard the cross, the glowing, 
blood-red cross, 
That emblem dear of care, and Chris- 
tian love 

For suffering ones; yet many a cruel loss 
Lies 'neath it, tho' our flag waves 

proud above. 
Fond aching hearts are seared sore and 

deep 

For those whose lives are peril'd for its 
sake 

'Neath torrid skies; and helpless women 
weep 

And. trembling, raise their prayers from 
hearts that break. 

God guard the cross, protect the brave 
and true, 

Who wear it in their hearts or on the 
sleeve. 

Oh, send Thine angels, guard each name- 
less grave, 
And dwell within the hearts of those 
who grieve. 
So hasten righteous ends on land and sea, 
That peace — whose sleeve shall bear 
the cross of red — 
Shall end this strife, and we united be 
With those who follow'd, where the red 
cross led. 

Harriett A. Rockwell- White. 



582 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



BEFORE SANTIAGO. 




HO cries that the days of daring are 
those that are faded far, 



That never a light burns planet- bright to 

be hailed as the hero's star? 
Let the deeds of the dead be laureled, 

the brave of the elder years, 
But a song, we say, for the men of to-day 

who have proved themselves their 

peers ! 

High in the vault of the tropic sky is the 
garish eye of the sun, 

And down with its crown of guns a-frown 
looks the hill-top to be won ; 

There is the trench where the Spaniard 
lurks, his hold and his hiding place, 

And he who would cross the space be- 
tween must meet death face to face. 

The black mouths belch and thunder, 
and the shrapnel shrills and flies ; 

Where are the fain and the fearless, the 
lads with the dauntless eyes? 

Will the moment find them wanting ! 
Nay, but with valor stirred ! 

Like the leashed hound on the coursing- 
ground they wait but the t warning 
word. 

" Charge ! " and the line moves forward, 

moves with a shout and a swing, 
While sharper far than the cactus-thorn 

is the spiteful bullet's sting. 
Now they are out in the open, and now 

they are breasting the slope, 
While into the eyes of death they gaze as 

iuto the eyes of hope. 

Never they wait nor waver, but on they 
clamber and on. 

With " Up with the flag of the stripes 
and stars, and down with the flag of 
the Don ! " 

What should they bear through the shot- 
rent air but rout to the ranks of 
Spain, 

For the blood that throbs in their hearts 
is the blood of the boys of Anthony 
Wayne ! 

See, they have taken the trenches ! Where 
are the foemen ? Gone ! 



And now " Old Glory" waves in the 
breeze from the heights of San Juan ! 

And so, while the dead are laureled, the 
brave of the elder years, 

A song, we say, for the men of to-day 
who have proved themselves their 
peers ! Clinton Scollard. 

A SONG FOR THE FLEET. 

A SONG for them one and all, 
The sister ships of the Maine, 
They have sailed at a nation's battle call 
To save a land from a tyrant's thrall 
That has struggled long in vain ! 

The coming days shall speak 

The praise of our valiant tars ! 
No fear they will wanting prove or weak, 
When proudly flutters from ever}" peak 
The glorious Stripes and Stars ! 

Then a cheer for the flag unfurled 

On the dawn of that Sabbath-day 
When the shot that the gallant Dewey 
hurled 

Crushed the hopes of the Spanish world 
In the far Manila Bay ! 

And a cheer for the valorous ones 
Who are girt for the gory fight 
Where the tropic tide-race swirls and runs 
Under the frown of the Morro's guns — 
And God be with the right ! 

Clinton Scollard. 

READING THE NEWS. 

OH, bring the atlas, mother, 
The big one bound in red \ 
Likewise a magnifying glass 
To show the letters spread 
Across the tinted page, mother, 

Where criss-cross lines confuse, 
For I'm going to read the news, mother ; 
I'm going to read the news. 

And pray do not neglect, mother, 

To get a gazetteer 
And a Spanish dictionary ; 

These words are sadly queer. 
It's a fearful undertaking 

And it's giving me the blues, 
But I'm going to read the news, mother, 

I'm going to read the news. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 583 



REFLECTED GLORY. 

SHE used to smile upon me, 
But she doesn't any more; 
She holds her head much higher 

Than she ever did before ; 
She regards me as a being 

Of a lower sphere to-day, 
For her cousin fought with Dewey 
When he took Manila Bay. 

She used to sit and listen 

To the thrilling tales I told : 
She used to look upon me 

As among the brave and bold ; 
But I've ceased to interest her, 

She looks down on me to day, 
For her cousin was with Dewey 

When he took Manila Bay 

Oh, I wish her valiant cousin 

Were in Van Dieman's Land, 
And that I had been with Dewey 

To pitch in and take a hand ! 
Ah, her manner's cold and distant, 

And her glances seem to say : 
' ' You were not out there with Dewey 

When he took Manila Bay ! ' ' 

MY SOLDIER BOY. 

WHEN night comes on, when morn- 
ing breaks, they rise — 
Those earnest prayers, by faithful lips 
oft said, 

And pierce the blue which shrouds the 
inner skies, 
" God guard my boy ; God grant he is 
not dead." 
" My soldier boy — where is he camped 
to-night? " 
"God guard him waking, sleeping, or 
in fight." 

Far, far away where tropic suns cast down 
Their scorching rays, where sultry 

damp airs rise 
And haunting breath of sickness holds its 

own, 

A homesick boy, sore, wounded, suf- 
fering lies : 
" Mother ! mother ! " is his ceaseless cry, 
" Come, mother, come, and see me 
'ere I die! " 



Where is war's glory ? Ask the trumpet's 
blare — 

The strife-marching columns run to 
bitter 

Ask of the raw recruit who knows as yet 
Naught of its horrors, naught of its loss 
of life ; 

Ask not the mother, weeping for her son : 
She knows the heartaches following 
victories won. 

Fidele H. Holland. 

THE NEW ALABAMA. 

THAR'S a bran new " Alabama " that 
they're fittin' out for sea, 
An' them that's seen her tell me she's as 

lively as kin be ; 
An' them big Havana gin'ruls better 

open wide their gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 
Confed'rit States ! 

A bran' new " Alabama ! " She orter be 
the best 

That ever plowed a furrow in the ocean — 

east or west ! 
An' I'm shore that she'll be heard from — 

jest open wide your gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 

Confed'rit States ! 

I bet she's full o' sperrit ! I bet her guns'll 
keep 

The Spanish cruisers huntin' fer a harbor 

on the deep ! 
She'll storm the forts an' take 'em — 

she'll batter down the gates 
Ef she's any like her namesake of the old 

Confed'rit States ! 

THE SONG OF DEWEY'S GUNS. 

WHAT is this thunder music from the 
other side of the world, 
That pulses through the severing seas 
and round the planet runs ? 
'Tis the death song of old Spain floating 
from the Asian main ; 
There's a tale of crumbling empire in 
the song of Dewey's guns ! 



584 POETRY OF THE WAR. 



The hand that held the sceptre once of 
all the great world seas, 
And paved the march with dead men's 
bones 'neath all the circling suns, 
Grew faint with deadly fear when that 
thunder song grew near, 
For the dirge of Spain was sounded by 
the song of Dewey's guns ! 

! There is music in a cannon, yet, for all 
Sons of Peace — 
Yes, the porthole's belching anthem is 
soft music to her sons 
When the iron thunder song sings the 
death of ancient wrong — 
And a dying wrong was chanted by the 
song of Dewey's guns. 

Sam Walter Foss. 

UNITED STATES NAVY'S CAPTURES. 

THE Spaniard may sneer or wax wroth 
as he will ; 
Your Uncle Sam cares not a jot. 
But when something practical calls for 
his skill, 

His cannon are there, on the spot. 
For fierce counter-phases slight headway 
can make 

'Gainst professional knaves and their 
tools ; 

The way to awake their remorse is to 
take 

Their lumber, provisions and mules. 

The poet who sang about " arms and the 
man, ' ' 

And " Mars " in his old epic lay, 
Would find some new topics, if he were 
to scan 

The scene of an up-to-date fray. 
He still might describe how men clash 
and disperse 
In wrath w r hich defeat never cools ; 
But he'd tack on a verse the renown to 
rehearse 

Of lumber, provisions and mules. 

THE BLACK REGIMENTS. 

DE cullud troops, dey marchin' — 
De regiments gwine pas' ; 
"En whar didde Guv'ment sen' you?" 
' * We gwine ter de Tortu-gas ! ' ' 



Oh, my wife en chillin' ! 

Make way en lemme pass ! 
De Guv'ment sen' me fur frum home ! 

I gwine ter de Tortu-gas ! 

De cullud troops, dey marchin' — 
Dey trompin' down de grass ; 

" En whar is de Guv'ment sen' you ? " 
" We gwine ter de Tortu-gas ! " 

Oh, my wife en chillin' ! 

Make way en lemme pass ! 
De Guv'ment sen' me fur frum home — 

I gwine ter de Tortu-gas. 



NEGLECTED WIFE. 

SHE. 

YOU used to kiss me fondly 
When you came to tea ; 
But now you read your paper, 
And hardly notice me ; 

You used to say you loved me, 
You praised my eyes and hair ; 

But now you never tell me 
That I am sweet or fair; 

You used to take me strolling, 
At dusk, beneath the trees, 

And often, after dinner, 

You held me on your knees ; 

You used to be so tender, 
So thoughtful and so true, 

And you were interested 
In all I had to do : 

But now you never listen 

To what I have to say; 
The love I had is only 

A memory, to-day. 

HE. 

Ah, foolish girl ! 'Tis yours, 
The love you're sighing for— 

But there — keep still — I'm anxious 
To read about the war. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



1 HE PHANTOM SPANISH FLEET. 

IT was a gnarly sailor man 
Tattooed across the breast, 
Who waddled toward a coil of rope 
And sat thereon to rest. 

The beard he wore was grizzly gray, 

His face was crimson red, 
He spat profusely at the tide 

And scratched his ear and said ; — 

" Time was when I was just a kid, 

First follerin' the sea, 
An' yarns like these was told within 

The fo'c'le to me. 

"They told me of the spooky ship 
Manned by a crew of ghosts 

That rassled with the waves about 
The Pattygony coasts. 

"Likewise an' similar I heerd 

Of speerit craft that would 
Come bearin' down upon you in 

Midocean neighborhood. 

" Come bearin' down upon you till 
There wan't two foot to spare — 

Then disappeared in half a wink 
An' left you shakin' there. 

"Ay, man an' boy, fer forty year 
I've heerd them tales of old; 

I've set amongst my mates an' stared 
At dreadful yarns they told. 

" But stranger than the lot of them 

Rolled up in one, an' tied, 
Is these here statements that we hear 

Right now on ev'ry side. 

" Ten hundred times as odd as is 

That Flyin' Dutchman case 
Is this about the Spanish fleet 

Which we're a-givin' chase. 

"They seen it up by Eastport, Maine, 

One pleasant, quiet morn, 
An' next day some one sighted it 

A-roundin' of Cape Horn. 



"An' in between a merchantman 
Comes in an' swears he viewed 

Them ships in longitude 16 
An' 80 latitude. 

"But just as we have hunted it 
An' when the place is found, 

A cable comes from Labrador 

' Spain's boats is here, aground.' 

•'Which makes us happy fer an hour. 

An' then from Martinique 
We hear: 'That Spanish squadron's 

An' has been fer a week.' 

" One ocean captain says he seen 

Them vessels out at sea 
Headed fer Spain an' also fer 

The coast of Caribbee. 

"Yet, speakin' of the self-same hour, 

Another says their smoke 
Caught his attention as he was 

Ten mile off Cape Saint Roque. 

" They fly by night j they fly by day; 

A million knots or so 
In half a minute is the speed 

At which them Spaniards go. 

" From Delagoa Bay around 

Up to the Benin Bight 
Is just a little easy jaunt 

That takes up half a night. 

" An' judgin' by the last reports 
About their movements I'm 

A liar if them ships ain't been 
Six places at one time. 

"It beats the Flyin' Dutchman cold, 
It beats all ghosts an' such 

The way them Spanish warboats chase 
Around the world so much. 

" Them stories that I used to hear 

In old times, as I says, 
Ain't nothin' to what's printed in 

The papers nowadays. 

"'As I was sayin' — " Down the pier 

A boy, with all his might 
Came crying : "Extree .^Extree. here 

De latest from de fight ! " 



586 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



The gnarly sailor paid his price 
And turned the printed sheet, 

Wherein a "special cablegram" 
Looked up, his eyes to greet. 

" I learn there are no Spanish ships, 
And never were," he read. 

The sailor man spat at the tide. 
" Well, I'll be darned ! " he said. 



w 



OLD GLORY. 

HAT sudden flash of rippling hues 
With high impulse the soul imbues, 
While welling joy the eyes suffuse ? 

Old Glory. 

What visions forth scarred battle plains 
Where stern emprise and valor reigns — 
Triumphant charge and broken chains? 

Old Glory. 

What marks the path where tempests sweep, 
Where freedom's thunder flashes leap 
From keels that grapple in the deep ? 

Old Glory. 

What beacons men to kindlier ways 
Of commerce, art — Athena's bays, 
And " Whatsoever things of praise?" 

Old Glory. 

What bids surcease to ancient feud 
Of race, of creed ; of every brood 
That bars a world-wide brotherhood ? 

Old Glory. 

Forecasts old earth's eterne release 
When tyrants' wiles and power shall cease 
In dawn of God's great calm of peace? 

Old Glory. 
John Brogan. 

DEWEY. 

O DEWEY was the morning 
Upon the first of May; 
And Dewey was the admiral 

Down in Manila Bay; 
And Dewey were the Regent's eyes 

Them orbs of royal blue ; 
And Dewey feel discouraged ? 
I Dew not think we Dew. 



THE BOYS THAT COULDN'T GO. 

THEY'VE wrote a heap o' verse about 
A power o' things, this war — 
I never knew them poets spout 

So smart an' slick before ! 
They've wrote of many a funny thing — 
They've wrote of wounds and woe — 
But what I wants some one to sing 
The boys that couldn't go. 

The boys that haven't had no fun; 

The boys that jest set round 
And read of what the others done, 

Beyond their campin' -ground. 
Till some lost heart, and some lost health, 

And though they saw no foe, 
The deadly fever slew by stealth 

Some boys that couldn't go. 

The boys that didn't have the luck 

To get a single scar, 
To show the girls who worship pluck, 

The sort o' chaps they are. 
To clean your tent, an' curry down 

Another feller's horse — 
That ain't a thing to make the town 

Ring with your name, of course ! 

And yet, I guess it's jest as hard 

To do your duty square, 
A chorin' round a stable-yard 

Or tent, as anywhere. 
I guess to keep a cheerful face 

An' pass the time o' day, 
An' not get slack but keep your brace, 

An' jest obey — obey — 

I kind o' think that's jest as brave 

As shootin' off your gun, 
An' puzzlin' why the last light shave 

Didn't put out the sun ! 
There ain't no corner yet on grit — 

There's plenty layin' round, 
An' fellers rollin' rich in it 

On the home campin' -ground. 

We've yelled for Hobson pretty near 

Until we split our throats ; 
But there were others knew no fear 

On board the other boats. 
If seven hundred fellers cried 

Because they warn't allowed 
To share the peril at his side — 

I'm yellin' for the crowd ! 



POETRY OF 

An' so I guess the women think, 

(The sort that think at all ;) 
Those unscarred soldiers needn't shrink 

To meet 'em in the fall. 
Because, I tell you for a fact, 

(In case you didn't know), 
The boys will find their hearts intact — 

The boys that couldn't go ! 

B. M. Channing. 

IN MEMORIAM. 

It was a strange coincidence, and a fit- 
ting end for a noble old seaman who had 
given his life to the service of his country, 
that Rear-Admiral W. A Kirkland, U. S. 
N., and late commandant at Mare Island, 
Cal., should die the day peace was de- 
clared. 

CEASE firing ! " Lo, the bugles call— 
" Cease ! " and the red flame dies 
away. 

The thunders sleep ; along the gray 
Smoke-shrouded hills the echoes fall. 

" Cease firing ! " Close the columns fold 
Their shattered wings ; the weary troops 
Now stand at ease ; the ensign droops ; 

The heated chargers' flanks turn cold. 

" Cease firing ! " Down, with point re- 
versed. 

The reeking, crimson sabre drips ; 
Cool grow the fevered cannon's lips — 
Their wreathing vapors far dispersed. 

" Cease firing!" From the sponson's 
rim 

The mute, black muzzles frown across 
The sea, where swelling surges toss 
The armored squadrons, silent, grim. 

" Cease firing!" Look, white banners 
show 

Along the graves where heroes sleep — 
Above the graves where men lie deep — 
In pure, soft flutterings of snow. 

" Cease firing ! " Glorious and sweet 
For country 'tis to die — and comes 
The Peace — and bugles blow and drums 

Are sounding out the Fast Retreat. 

Thomas R. Gregory, U. S. N. 



THE WAR. 687 

THE COWARD. 

HIT? Yes, I wuz hit, but then 
So wuz lots of other men. 
Don't feel much like braggin', fer 
All the rest wuz braver, sir. 
When the fierun' begun, 
Somethin' whispered, " Cut an' run!" 
Chances wuz that either I 
Would have to skip, or stay an' die. 
Then the thought of mother came, 
An' I didn't feel the same — 
Seemed to starch me up a bit, 
An' — in a minit I wuz hit. 
Mother she wuz brave you see — 
Father died when I wuz three — 
Worked, she did, both day an' night 
To keep the boy he left fixed right. 
'Member when I wuzn't well, 
How she watched an' dosed me, tel 
I wuz up an' round again. 
Medicine wuz bitter then, 
An' mother'd say, " You Willie, stan' 
An' take your pellet like a man ! " 
When the shots wuz thick that day, 
An' Jimmie Brewer by me lay 
Limp' an' bleedin' in the sand, 
An' I heered the Cap's command — 
" Steady boys, an' fire low ! " — 
Seemed to feel my courage go ; 
Almost wisht I hadn't come; 
Almost wisht I wuz to hum ; 
Then— an' Lord, it sounded queer! — 
In the din I seemed to hear 
Mother, sayin', " Willie, stan' 
An' take your bullet like a man!" 

Richard R. Wightman. 

GITTIN' CLOSE. 

WE'RE purty clost together, 
North, East, an' South an' West ; 
It took the stormy weather 
To bring us to our best. 
One flag is ripplin' over 

The ranks on land and sea ; 
The man who marched with Sherman 
Stands with the man of Lee ! 

We're purty clost together — 
Thar ain't no kind o' doubt ; 

It took the stormy weather 
To let the rainbows out ! 



588 POETRY OF 

One flag is ripplin' over 

This bright land of the free ; 
The man who marched with Sherman 

Stands with the man of Lee ! 

Yes, purty clost together ; 

An' ef it's storm or strife, 
We'll thank God for the weather 

That finds us one for life ! 
For one flag ripplin' over 

That throws her ribbons free 
Where the men who marched with Sher- 
man 

March with the men of Lee ! 

THE GIANT BATTLESHIP. 

OTHE ship she trembles from top 
j to keel — 
Though she rates twelve thousand tons ! 
And her scorched decks leap with a thun- 
dering throb, 
'Neath the roar of her twelve-inch guns ! 
Dented and tortured and pierced, she 
stands, 

The blows on her ringing plates ; 
Grimy and black she signals back 

To the flags of her fighting mates. 
Hear the grinding crash from her armored 
prow, 

Hear the rattling Colts from the mast ? 
Young Steel Flanks of the living Now 
Is Old Ironsides of the past ! 

O, then here's to the men where'er they 
be— 

The men of steel and steam ! 
They're the same old stock from the 
parent block ! _ 
When they welcomed the wind abeam. 
Though one shot may equal a broadside's 
weight, 

One blow may decide the fight, 
They serve their guns, they aim them 
straight, 

And the Flag will be kept in sight ! 
The old captains bold — cocked hats and 
gold- 
Were made for their country's hour, 
And the Soul of the Ship proclaims the 
mold 

Of the mind in the conning tower ! 



THE WAR. 

Let us sing the song of Wind and Sail- 
Brave deeds of the captains bold ! 

Never a name but was known to fame, 
And was praised in the days of old. 

Let us sing the song of the armored ship, 
With the ramming, roaring bow ! 

For the flag is the same, the men are the 
same — 

'Tis the song of Then and Now ! 

A YANKEE SHIP AND A YANKEE 
CREW. 

A YANKEE ship and a Yankee crew, 
Tally hi ho ! you know ! 
O'er the bright blue waves like a sea- 
bird flew, 
Singing hey ! aloft and alow ! 
Her sails are spread to the fairy breeze ! 
The spray as sparkling thrown from 
her prow, 

Her flag is the proudest that floats on the 
seas, 

When homeward she's steering now ! 

A Yankee ship, and a Yankee crew, 

Tally hi ho ! you know ! 
W T ith hearts aboard, both gallant and true; 

The same aloft and alow ! 
The blackening sky and the whistling wind 

Foretell the approach of a gale ; 
And a home and its joys flit over each, 

Husbands, lovers, on deck, there ! a sail ! 
A Yankee ship, and a Yankee crew, 

Tally hi ho ! you know ! 
Distress is the word, God speed them 
through, 

Bear a hand aloft and alow ! 

A Yankee ship, and a Yankee crew, 

Tally hi ho ! you know ! 
Freedom defends the land where it grew, 

We're free aloft and alow ! 
Bearing down a ship, in regal pride. 

Defiance floating at each mast-head : 
She's wrecked, and the one that floats 
alongside, 

The stars and stripes that's to victory 
wed ; 

A Yankee ship, and a Yankee crew, 

Tally hi ho ! you know ! 
Ne'er strikes to a foe, while the sky is blue, 

Or a tar aloft and alow ! 



POETRY OF 

CHARGE OF THE TERRORS. 

DAMSELS to right of them, 
Beauties to left of them, 
Honors ahead of them, 

Perils behind ; 
No thought of warlike strife, 
Right into social life — 
Into the Four Hundred 
Dash the Rough Riders. 

Cow punchers, some of them, 
Blue stockings, some of them, 
Born heroes, all of them, 

Teddy in front : 
Not theirs to be denied, 
Victors where'er betide, 
Swelldom's e'erlasting pride, 

Oh, the Rough Riders. 

CHICKAMAUGA ("RIVER OF 
DEATH.") 

OH, we marched down to the river of 
death, 

Seventy thousand strong ! 
Fire in the veins, and delight in the 
breath, 

Joy at the start and hope in the heart ; 
Burning to right a wrong. 

Red-blooded, firm-bodied, brave enough 
— men 

We were — witness that ! — then. 
Rank of us, file of us, did a foot lag ? 
No — by God, and the Flag ! 

So we drank deep of the river of death — 

Pollution, and fever, and fate ; 
The poison that flies on the wings of the 
breath, 

If a soldier ask bread, set a cross at his 
head, 

Or rot him in camp for the State ! 

Hush ! They have marched to the River 
of Life- 
Comrades we left behind, 
Who begged for the front, and who ached 

for the strife. 
To them it was given to crumble to 
Heaven, 

We wonder what did they find ! 



THE WAR. 589 

Slowly we crawl from the river of death, 

Try us — we're thousands weak. 
Shrunken in spirit, and shortened in 
breath, 

Wail if you will. But the missing are still, 
And the slain refuse to speak. 

Spent-bodied, taint-blooded, shades of 
the strong 

Cry : Who wrought the wrong ? 
Right of it, wrong of it— did a man lag? 

No ! By God and the Flag ! 

Elizabeth S. P. Ward. 



THE BATTLE. 

' All ID sullen roar 
1 V 1 Of waves on shore, 
Our battleships went out to sea, 

Big hulls glist'ning, 

As at christ' ning, 
They went to fight for liberty. 

Gay crews smiling, 

Time beguiling, 
No man e'er thought of danger near. 

The day was bright ; 

No thought of fight ; 
All thought of friends at home so dear. 

Hark the bell tolls ; 

Oft the ship rolls, 
Down in the ocean's dark blue wave, 

Sunlight beaming ; 

Shells are screaming 
Around our sailor boys so brave. 

Shrieks of dying, 

Moaning, crying, 
Rent the ship's sulphurous air. 

The battle's o'er : 

From shore to shore, 
High waves old glory in the air. 

With mangled crew 

And mournful few, 
From sailing on broad ocean's track, 

No more to fight ; 

Right conquers might ; 
To-day our boats are coming back. 



590 POETRY OF 

A POEM WITH A MORAL. 

FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF GUARDSMEN 
WHO DO NOT LIKE " MARTINETS. " 

THE 'eathen in 'is blindness bows down 
to wood and stone ; 
'E don't obey no orders unless they is 'is 
own ; 

'E keeps 'is sidearms awful; 'e leaves 'em 
all about, 

An' then comes up the regiment an' 
pokes the 'eathen out. 

The young recruit is 'aughty — 'e drops 

from Gawd knows where ; 
They bid 'im show 'is stockin's an' lay 'is 

mattress square ; 
'E calls it bloomin' nonsense — 'e doesn't 

know no more — 
An' then up comes 'is company an' kicks 

'em round the floor ! 

The young recruit is 'ammered — 'e takes 

it very 'ard ; 
'E 'angs his 'ead an' mutters — 'e sulks 

about the yard ; 
'E talks o' " cruel tyrants " 'e'll swing for 

by an' bye, 
An' the others 'ears an' mocks 'im, an' 

the boy goes orf to cry. 

The young recruit is silly— 'e thinks o' 
suicide ; 

'E's lost 'is gutter-devil; 'e 'asn't got 'is 
pride ; 

But day by day they kicks 'im, which 

'elps 'im on a bit, 
Till 'e finds 'isself one mornin' with a full 

an' proper kit. 

An' now the hugly bullets come peekin' 

through the dust, 
An' no one wants to face 'em, but every 

beggar must ; 
So, like a man in irons which isn't glad 

to go, 

They moves 'em off by companies, un- 
common stiff an' slow. 

Of all 'is five years schoolin' they don't 

remember much, 
Excep' the not retreatin', the step an' 

keepin' touch. 



THE WAR. 

It looks like teachin' wasted when they 

duck an' spread an' 'op. 
But if 'e 'adn't learned 'em they'd be all 

about the shop ! 

Rudyard Kipling. 

WHO WILL CARE FOR MOTHER NOW? 

During one of our late battles, among 
many other noble fellows that fell, was a 
young man who had been the only sup- 
port of an aged and sick mother for years. 
Hearing the surgeon tell those who were 
near him, that he could not live, he placed 
his hand across his forehead and, with a 
trembling voice, said, while burning tears 
ran down his fevered cheeks : " Who will 
care for mother now ? " 

WHY am I so weak and weary? 
See how faint my heated breath, 
All around to me seems darkness — 
Tell me, comrades, is this death ? 
Ah ! how well I know your answer, 

To my fate I meekly bow, 
If you'll only tell me truly, 

Who will care for mother now ? 

CHORUS. 

Soon with angels I'll be marching, 
With bright laurels on my brow, 

I have for my country fallen, 
Who will care for mother now ? 

Who will comfort her in sorrow ? 

Who will dry the fallen tear, 
Gently smooth the wrinkled forehead? 

Who will whisper words of cheer ? 
Even now I think I see her 

Kneeling, praying for me ! how 
Can I leave her in her anguish ? 

Who will care for mother now ? 

Let this knapsack be my pillow, 

And my mantle be the sky ; 
Hasten, comrades, to the battle, 

I will like a soldier die. 
Soon with angels I'll be marching, 

With bright laurels on my brow; 
I have for my country fallen, 

Who will care for mother now? 



POETRY OF THP: WAR. 



591 



WILLIE HAS GONE TO THE WAR. 

THE blue bird is singing its lay 
To all the sweet flowers of the dale; 
The wild bee is roaming, at play ; 

And soft is the sigh of the gale ; 
I stray by the brook-side, alone, 

Where oft we have wandered before, 
And weep for my loved one — my own : 
My Willie has gone to the war ! 

CHORUS. 

Willie has gone to the war, Willie — 
Willie, my loved one — my own ; 

Willie has gone to the war, Willie — 
Willie, my loved one, has gone. 

It was there, where the lily-bells grow, 

That I last saw his noble young face ; 
But now he has gone to the foe — 

Oh ! dearly I love the old place ! 
The whispering waters repeat 

The name that I love, o'er and o'er, 
And daisies, that nod at my feet, 

Say : Willie has gone to the war ! 

The leaves of the forest will fade, 

The roses will wither and die, 
And Spring to our home in the glade, 

On fairy-like pinions, will fly ; 
But still I will hopefully wait 

Till the day when those battles are o'er; 
And pine like a bird for its mate, 

Till Willie comes home from the war. 

MARCHIN' WID DE BAN'. 

OWE'S mighty monstrous happy, 
7 In de middle ob de day 
When the sun am shinin' brightly 

An' de flags am fly in' gay ; 
When a ban' ob sixty pieces 
(Sixty pieces, mo' o' less) 
Plays sich lubly music 

Dat it lull yo' soul to res'. 
Wid de drum majah a-struttin' 

Lak a turkey goblah gran' 
An' we am dancin' an' a-prancin' 
An' a-marchin' wid de ban'. 

Keepin' step am jus' ez eazy 
When the ban' begin' to play, 

Jus' comes to us as nachal 
Ez as a hoss come to his hay, 



Kas ouah h'ahts am full ob gladness 

When de drums begin to beat, 
Wid dey thumpin' an' a-bumpin' 

While we keeps time wid ouah feet. 
De pleasure am jus' 'licious — 

De fines' in de lan' — 
When we am dancin' an' a-prancin' 

An' a-marchin' wid de ban'. 

Ef yo' eber has some trubbel, 

In any time ob yeah, 
Collectin' de cullud people, 

A-livin' fuh an' neah, 
Git a ban' ob sixty pieces, 

All dressed in unifohms, 
Wid dem gol' things on dey shouldahs 

An' red stripes 'roun' they ahms, 
Den all de cullud people — 

De yaller, black an' tan — 
Will quit dey situations 

An' go marchin' wid dat ban'. 

Phil. H. Brown. 

TO THE FLYING SQUADRON. 

FIERCE flock of sea gulls, with huge 
wings of white, 
Tossed on the treacherous blue, 
Poising your pinions in majestic flight — 
Our hearts take voyage with you. 

God save us from war's terrors ! May 
they cease ! 

And yet one fate, how worse ! 
A bloodless, perjured, prostituting peace, 

Glutting a coward's purse ! 

Oh, if yon beaks and talons clutch and 
cling 

Far in the middle seas 
With those of hostile war birds, wing to 
wing — 

Our hearts shall fight with these. 

God speed you ! Never fared crusading 
knight 

On holier quest than ye — 
Sworn to the rescue of the trampled Right, 

Sworn to make Cuba free ! 

Yea, swiftly to avenge our martyred Maine, 

I watch you curve and wheel 
In horrible grace of battle — scourge of 
Spain, 

Birds with the beaks of steel ! 



592 POETRY OF 

VICTOR BLUE. 

"Mole St. Nicholas, June 13. — Lieu- 
tenant Blue just returned after a detour of 
seventy statute miles' observation of the 
harbor of Santiago de Cuba. He reports 
Spanish fleet is ail there." — Sampson. 

VICTOR BLUE ! What a name it is 
For a deed of old renown — 
How it stirs the biood, how the fancy 
wakes 

And brushes the cobwebs down ! 

Why, you see the flag, its stars and stripes' 

You hear the bugles play, 
And you know some deed of desperate 
need 

Has come to blaze the way ! 

Admiral Sampson paced his deck, 

With troubled brow and eye, 
While the lights of Santiago flared 

Afar against the sky ! 

He knew that there, in the inner bay, 

In a fancied safe retreat, 
The Spanish admiral, close and snug, 

Had taken his hunted fleet. 

But which were the ships and where they 

swung 

Far back in the winding strait, 
Was a little point he wanted to fix 
For the pending joint debate ! 

A light came into the Admiral's eye — 

His clouded brow grew free 
As he said to his orderly waiting there — 

" Send Lieutenant Blue to me!" 

In the shadow that night a little craft 
Slipped off from the flagship's side, 
And, turning, steered for the Cuban 
shore, 

Borne in on the Carib tide — 

And Victor Blue was there alone, 

Serene and well content — 
Rejoiced at heart to be off again 

On the Spanish fox's scent. 

He cut the brush — he forged the swamp 

In a trackless, wide detour — 
But the hills, to the rear of the 'leaguered 
town, 

Were his box and compass sure. 



THE WAR. 

He heard the sudden clatter of hoofs — 
He crouched in the tropic grass — 

Then he saw two sabred and booted Dons, 
With a strange oath, come and pass ! 

On through the rank, thick underbrush 

He cut and burrowed his way 
Till he caught, thro' the tall palmetto 

trees, 

A gleam of the distant bay; 

Higher he climbed — and higher still 
He crept to the towering knoll — 

When, lo ! beneath him the harbor lay 
Like a long, indented bowl ! 

Need I tell the rest ? — how the news came 
back 

To Sampson and gallant Schley ; 
How Blue had focused Cervera's fleet 
With his own — and his good friend's — 
eye ? 

How he came through the perils of instant 
death — 

The death of the hangman's noose — 
Unravelling quite, with his double sight, 
The Spanish admiral's ruse ? 

How he told the names of the hiding ships 
In the cays of the winding strait, 

And settled a doubtful point or two 
For the pending joint debate ! 

John Jerome Rooney. 

LET ME LIKE A SOLDIER FALL. 

YES, let me like a soldier fall 
Upon some open plain, 
This breast expanding for the ball, 

To blot out every stain ; 
Brave, manly hearts confer my doom, 

That gentler ones may tell, 
Howe'er forgot, unknown my tomb, 
I like a soldier fell. 

I only ask of that proud race, 

Which ends its blaze in me, 
To die the last and not disgrace 

Its ancient chivalry; 
Though o'er my clay no banner wave, 

Nor trumpet requiems swell, 
Enough they murmur o'er my grave: 

"He like a soldier fell!" 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



593 



KISS ME AS OF OLD, MOTHER. 

ON the field of battle, mother, 
All the night alone I lay, 
Angels watching o'er me, mother, 

'Till the breaking of the day; 
I lay thinking of you, mother, 

And the loving ones at home, 
'Till to our dear cottage, mother, 
Boy again I seemed to come. 

CHORUS. 

Kiss me for my brother, sister — 
When I sleep deep in the grave, 

Tell I died true to my country — ■ 
Her honor tried to save. 

I must soon be going, mother, 

Going to the home of rest ; 
Kiss me as of old, mother, 

Press me nearer to your breast ; 
Would I could repay you, mother, 

For your faithful love and care, 
God uphold and bless you, mother, 

In this bitter woe you bear. 

TELL MOTHER I DIE HAPPY. 

I AM dying, comrades, dying 
As you hear me lightly tread ; 
Soon, ah, soon, I shall be lying 

With the silent, sleeping dead. 
I am dying, comrades, dying, 

Still the battle rages near; 
Tell me, are our foes a flying ? 
I die happy, mother dear. 

CHORUS. 

Tell my mother I die happy, 
That for me she must not weep; 

Tell her how I longed to kiss her, 
Ere I sunk in death to sleep. 

I am going, comrades, going ; 

See how damp my forehead's now; 
Oh, I see the angels coming, 

With bright garlands for my brow. 
Bear this message to my mother; 

How in death that God was near, 
He to bless and to support me ; 

I die happy, mother dear. 

38 



Lay me, comrades, 'neath the willow, 

That grows on the distant shore; 
Wrap the starry flag around me, 

I would press its folds once more ; 
Let the cold earth be my pillow, 

And the stars and stripes my shroud ; 
Soon, oh, soon, I shall be marching 

Amid the heavenly crowd. 

THE TORPEDO=BOAT. 

SHE'S a floating boiler crammed with 
fire and steam ; 
A toy, with dainty works like any 
watch ; 

A working, weaving basketful of tricks — 
Eccentric, cam and lever, cog and 
notch. 

She's a dashing, lashing, tumbling shell 
of steel, 

A headstrong, kicking, nervous, plung- 
ing beast ; 

A long, lean ocean liner — trimmed down 
small ; 

A bucking broncho harnessed for the 
East. 

She can rear and toss and roll 
Your body from your soul, 

And she's most unpleasant wet — to say 
the least ! 

But see her slip in, sneaking down, at 
night ; 

All a-tremble, deadly, silent — Satan- 
sly. 

Watch her gather for the rush, and catch 

her breath ! 
See her dodge the wakeful cruiser's 

sweeping eye. 
Hear the humming ! Hear her coming ! 

Coming fast ! 
(That's the sound might make men wish 

they were at home, 
Hear the rattling Maxim, barking rapid 

fire), 

See her loom out through the fog with 
bows afoam ! 
Then some will wish for land — 
They'd be sand fleas in the sand 

Or yellow grubs reposing m the loam. 

James Barnes. 



594 POETRY OF 

THE MAN WHO DOES THE CHEERIN'. 

THIS war with Spain reminds me o' 
the Spring o' '61, 
About the time or jist afore the Civil 

War begun; 
A certain class o' heroes ain't remembered 

in this age, 
Yit their names in golden letters should 

be writ on histry's page. 
Their voices urged on others to save this 

ol' country's fall; 
I admit they never listened when they 

heerd Abe Lincoln's call; 
They never heerd a eagle scream er heerd 

a rifle crack, 
But you bet they done the cheerin' 
When the troops come back. 

O' course it's glorious to fight when free- 
dom is at stake, 
I 'low a feller likes to know that he hez 

helped to make 
Another star in freedom's sky — the star 

o' Cuby — free ! 
But still another feelin' creeps along o' 

that when he 
Gits to thinkin' o' the home he left en 

seein' it at night 
Dancin' slowlike up aroun' him in a misty 

maze o' light. 
En a-ketchin' fleetin' glimpses of a crowd 

along the track, 
En the man who does the cheerin' 
When the troops come back. 

O' course a soldier hez got feelin's en his 

heart begins to beat 
Faster, ez ol' Reckoliection leads him 

down some shady street 
Where he knows a gal's a-waitin' under- 
neath a creepin' vine, 
Where the sun is kinder cautious 'bout 

combatin' with the shine 
In her eyes — en jist anuther thing that 

nuther you er I 
Could look at with easy feelin's is a piece 

o' pumpkin pie 
That hez made our mothers famous— but 

down there along the track 
Is the man who does the cheerin' 

When the troops come back. 



THE WAR. 

It's jist the same in war times ez in com- 
mon ev'ry day, 
When a feller keeps a-strugglin' en a-peg- 

gin' on his way, 
He likes to hev somebody come and grab 

him by the hand, 
En say: "OP boy, you '1L git there yit; 

you've got the grit en sand." 
It does him good, en I 'low that it does 

a soldier, too ; 
So even if the feller at the track don't 

wear the blue, 
He's helped save bleedin' Cuby from the 

tyrants en their rack 
By leadin' in the cheerin' 

When the troops come back. 

Edward Singer. 

WRAP THE FLAG AROUND ME, BOYS. 

OWRAP the flag around me, boys, to 
j die were far more sweet, 
With freedom's starry emblem, boys, to 

be my winding sheet. 
In life I loved to see it wave, and follow 

where it led, 
And now my eyes grow dim, my hands 
would clasp its last bright shred. 

CHORUS. 

Then wrap the flag around me, boys, 
To die were far more sweet, 

With freedom's starry emblem, boys, 
To be my winding sheet. 

O, I had thought to greet you, boys, on 

many a well won field, 
When to our starry banner, boys, the 

trait' rous foe should yield. 
But now, alas, I am denied my dearest 

earthly prayer; 
You'll follow and you'll meet the foe, but 

I shall not be there. 

But though my body moulders, boys, my 

spirit will be free, 
And every comrade's honor, boys, will 

still be dear to me. 
There in the thick and bloody fight never 

let your ardor lag, 
For I'll be there still hovering near, above 

the dear old flag. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 595 



ADMIRAL SUSAN JANE. 

1MAY be wrong about it, but it seems 
to me, by gum ! 
That this here war we're in ain't bein' 
managed right ; 
I know somebody that I'll bet could fairly 
make things hum 
And knock the Spaniards out of time 
before to-morrow night. 
S-s-s-h! Say, don't let her hear us ! But 
I 11 bet if Susan Jane 
Could be appointed admiral fer jist 
about a day 
The powers couldn't stop 'er — it'd all be 
up with Spain — 
One look from her, and every Don 
would want to sneak away. 

I'd like to see Cervera or old Blanco when 
she got 

Him cornered, as she often corners me, 
And then look through and through him 
— laws ! I'll bet he would not 
Be long in beggin' fer a chance to 
scoot across the sea ! 
Talk about your fiery looks ! One look 
from Susan Jane 
Jist sets my blood a-tinglin' and upsets 
me fer a week — 
If she could meet Sagasta that would settle 
things for Spain — 
She'd make him give up all before he'd 
got a chance to speak ! 

O, I'd like to see old Weyler go if she 
was in pursuit, 
With a pair of trusty scissors in her 
hand ! 

I'll bet he wouldn't argue, and I'll bet 
that he would scoot, 
As he'd go it from Old Nick and all his 
brimstone eatin' band ! — 
I wouldn't want to say it, if I thought 
that she could hear, 
But it'd be a chilly day fer poor old 
g r °ggy Spain 
If our commodores and admirals were all 
to disappear, 
And the whole affair was put into the 
hands of Susan Jane. 

S. E. Kiser. 



44 DIXIE " UP TO DATE. 

SONG OF THE SOUTHERN VOLUNTEERS. 

I WISH I were in the far, far North 
To cheer my comrades starting forth; 
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! 
Their fathers were of ours the foes — 
But that's forgot like last year's snows. 
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! 

CHORUS. 

Yankeeland and Dixie ! 
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! 

In Yankeeland and Dixieland 
We're linked together, heart and hand; 
Hurrah ! hurrah ! for Yankeeland and 
Dixie. 

They fought in blue, we fought in gray — 
But that's a tale of yesterday; 

Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! 
And now we don the blue again 
To down with them those Dons of Spain, 

Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! 

(Chorus, O Yankeeland and Dixie, etc.) 

We're going to drive from Cuba's isle 
Starvation, tyranny and guile ; 

Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! 
And when we've downed those Dons of 
Spain, 

Why then we're coming home again. 
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah ! 

John Hall Ingham. 

A CERVEREAN PARAPHRASE 

OFT in the stilly night, 
Since Hobson's chain hath bound 
me, 

Sad mem'ry brings the fright 
Of Sampson's fleet around me. 

When I remember all 

The schemes, so linked together, 
That lured me to this harbor small, 

To 'scape the Sampson weather — 

1 feel like one who's left alone 
In some dim land deserted, 

Whose hopes are drunk — whose ships are 
sunk, 

And all but him departed ! 



596 POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE VACANT CHAIR. 




E shall meet, but we shall miss him ; 
there will be one vacant chair; 



We shall linger to caress him, while we 
breathe our evening prayer. 

When, a year ago, we gathered, joy was 
in his mild blue eye; 

But a golden cord is severed, and our 
hopes in ruins lie. 

chorus. 

We shall meet, but we shall miss him ; 

There will be one vacant chair; 
We shall linger to caress him, 

When we breathe our evening prayer. 

At our fireside, sad and lonely, often will 

the bosom swell 
At remembrance of the story how our 

noble Willie fell; 
How he strove to bear our banner through 

the thickest of the fight, 
And upheld our country's honor, in the 

strength of manhood's might. 

True, they tell us wreaths of glory ever 
more will deck his brow ; 

But this soothes the anguish only, sweep- 
ing o'er our heart-strings now. 

Sleep to-day, O early fallen, in thy green 
and narrow bed; 

Dirges from the pine and cypress mingle 
with the tears we shed. 

SONG OF ROOSEVELT'S RIDERS. 

WE thud — thud — thud down the dusky 
pike, 

We jingle across the plain, 
We cut and thrust, and we lunge and strike, 

We throttle the sons of Spain ! 
Our chief has never a tremor shown, 

He's grit cinched up in a belt. 
Oh, they must be for their courage known 

Who ride with Roosevelt. 
We gallop along the gloomy vale, 

We bustle a-down the lane, 
We leap the stream and the toppling rail — 

We burst on the men of Spain ! 
It's rattle and clash, the sabers flash, 

The Spaniard host doth melt, 
It's bluff and grit, and it's all things vast 

To ride with Roosevelt I 



HE CAME. 

THERE was a Don up in a tree, 
And a Yankee down below ; 
"Come down," said the Yankee to the 
Don, 

But the Don was rather slow. 
"What terms," he asked, " will you make 
with me 

If I come down to you? 
No terms ? Oh, Mr. Yankee man, 

That'll never, never do!" 

The Yankee took aim with his gun 

At the Don up in the tree ; 
"I'll shoot," he said, ' if you don't come 
down 

Before I've counted ' three.' " 
Athwart the Don's dark visage spread 

A terrifying frown, 
But the Yankee counted "one" and 
" two." 

And the little old Don came down. 

EXIT THE CANNIBAL. 

OH, the blithe and eager cannibal has 
has seen his brightest days ; 
They are fading out forever in Old Glo- 
ry's coming rays, 
And the happy missionary will not dread 

the fatal broth, 
As he drops that ragout feeling which was 
common to the cloth. 

Oh, no more the paunchy savage will set 

up his steaming pot, 
Out of which the fragrant parson will be 

forked or ladled hot; 
And no more will grinning henchmen 

squat beside the chief while he 
With a nice discrimination hands around 

the late D. D. 

For the Yankee sweeps the ocean, and 
the polishers of bones 

In the Philippines and Sandwiches and far- 
away Ladrones, 

Must resign their meaty diet and come 
down to plainer things, 

For there'll be no more man-eating 'neath 
the eagle's, sheltering wings, 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



597 



THE ANGLO-AMERICAN RACE. 

Dedicated to the Albion Society of Phil- 
adelphia, and the Society of the Sons 
of St. George. 

WE are one in the bonds of progression, 
In the power to toil and to fight, 
We are one in our loathing of wrong, 
For liberty, honor and right. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes attack, 
Then hurrah for the troops and tars, 

Hurrah ! hurrah ! for the Union Jack 
When joined with the Stripes and Stars ! 

We are one in our laws and our language. 
We are one in our thought and our 
song, 

We are one in our hatred of traitors, 
We are one in our loathing of wrong. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes unite, 
'Gainst the world we will not turn back: 

The Stars and Stripes shall win the fight, 
When joined with the Union Jack ! 

We have cheered for each other in triumph, 
We have wept for each other in vain. 

We have quarreled and battled together; 
We are friends and as friends shall re- 
main. 

CHORUS. 

Then hurrah for Peace ! but if foes attack* 
Then hurrah for the troops and tars ! 

Hurrah ! hurrah ! for the Union Jack, 
When joined with the Stripes and Stars! 

We shall not be parted, my brothers, 
Till the Rockies descend from their 
place. 

It is born — The new Union forever ! 
The Anglo-American Race ! 

chorus. 

Then hurrah for Peace! but if foes unite, 
' Gainst the world we will not turn back: 

The Stars and Stripes shall win the fight, 
When joined with the Union Jack. 



A STIRRUP CUP. 
A Song for the War Correspondent. 

A HEALTH all round ere the last bell 
rings, 

Ere the signals shift and the whistle sings; 
There's a moment yet while the trains 
delay, 

We've turned life loose on the world to- 
day! 

On an unknown quest for East or West, 
East or West on the unknown way. 

For some went South when the Cuban 
rose, 

And some turned north to the Yukon 
snows. 

By sledge or steamer, by mail or freight, 
From the Koord Kabul to the Golden 
Gate, 

We've gone the rounds of the world- 
wide bounds, 
From the Hoang-Ho to Magellan Strait. 

We stood by the guns when the impi 
broke, 

And the field glass strained through the 

whirling smoke ; 
We scrawled the dispatch by the thorn - 

bush fire, 

Then a hundred miles to the telegraph 
wire ! 

A ride by night, from the field of fight, 
A rattling scoop or an Angel Choir ! 

When the bucks broke loose from the 

tribe reserve, 
We sketched the scalping, and saw them 

swerve 

When the pistols cracked and the rush 

was stayed 
By the crackling line of the News Brigade. 

Up the Peace with the Plains Police — 
In the Alkali hell our bones are laid. 

The big gong clangs from the depot wall ; 
The whistles shriek and the signals fall ; 
Around the curve and along the bay — 
We're out once more on the open way. 

East or West, or cursed or blessed, 
We've turned life loose on the world to- 
day. Frank L. Pollock. 



598 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



FITZHUGH LEE. 

COOL amid the battle's din 
Ice without, but fire within, 
Leading to the charge his men, 
Much we praise the soldier then ; 
But we honor far the more 
One who on a foreign shore, 
True to duty takes his stand 
With his country's flag in hand, 
And, though great the peril be, 
Bows no head and bends no knee — 
Fitzhugh Lee. 

Gallant veteran, tried and true, 
Hands and hearts go forth to you. 
'Mid the sounds that others stir, 
Hiss of reptile, yelp of cur, 
'Mid our country's foes you stood 
With a calm and fearless mood. 
Therefore, veteran, tried and true, 
Strong our pride has grown in you ; 
And when you return o'er sea 
Warm your welcome here shall be, 
Fitzhugh Lee. 

Where our mountains milk the sky, 

Where our many cities lie, 

By Potomac's hallowed stream ; 

Where the Hudson's waters gleam, 

By the Mississippi's mouth, 

East and West and North and South — 

Wheresoe'er o'er land and seas, 

Floats Old Glory in the breeze, 

Wheresoe'er our people be, 

All to honor you agree, 

Fitzhugh Lee. 

Thomas Dunn English. 

PEACE JUBILEEXELEBRATION. 

WE welcome thee, fair-visaged God of 
Peace, 

Who cometh smiling through the mist 
of tears 

To lay thy soothing hand upon our 
fears, 

And bid the rancor and the bloodshed 
cease. — 

So, often, when in some dread storm's in- 
crease, 

Dark clouds engloom all that the heart 
reveres, 



And the dear light of heaven disappears, 
A golden ray of sunlight brings release. 

To-day our hearts throb to a cadence fair; 
Our souls are jubilant with high achiev- 
ing; 

We fling our starry banners to the air, 
Forgetful of all grievances and all griev- 
ing; 

Thy brow victorious we wreathe with 
flowers, 

And make the welcome in this joy of ours. 

Felix N. Gerson. 

THE WOUNDED HERO. 

A WOUNDED soldier of our army, 
Like the soldier in Algiers, 
Lay dying on the battlefield, 

Without strength to dry the tears 
Which were Nature's sweetest tribute 

From a heart as brave and true 
As ever risked being pierced with bullets 
For our dear Red, White and Blue. 

At last a comrade found the hero 

Who had fallen in the strife. 
And after weeks of weary watching, 

Nursed the trooper back to life. 
How, in fancy, he led charges, 

When the fever racked his brain, 
How he cheered as the Starry Banner 

He thought replaced the flag of Spain. 

Then he raved of home and mother, 
Of the friends so kind and dear, 

And the soldier who sat beside him 
Wiped the dreamer's manly tear : 

Ah ! 'twas Nature's sweetest token 
From a heart which led the van — 

Which, though brave, was sublimely ten- 
der, 

And cheered the boys at San Juan. 

Back to home and friends and mother 

Come the sons of Uncle Sam 
Who have not been called to heaven 

From the field of San Juan : 
And a grateful Yankee nation, 

While it cheers the living brave, 
Will not forget the heroes 

Who lie silent in their grave. 

J. J. Burke. 



POETRY OF 

KING WHEAT. 

YOU may tell of your armored cruis- 
ers 

And your great ships of the line; 
And swift or slow may steamers go 

Across the billowy brine. 
Like thunder may the cannon boom 

To greet their flags unfurled, 
And for an hour they may have power 

To rule the frightened world. 

From ocean shore to ocean shore 

Lie lines of gleaming steel, 
And night and day we hear alway 

The ring of rushing wheel ; 
Though buffalo have left the plain, 

And Indian tents are furled, 
Nor steam nor hand at wealth's com- 
mand 

Can rule the busy world. 

But where the hillside rises fair 

In terraces of green, 
And on the plain, where wind and rain 

Sweep fields of golden sheen, 
Where sturdy yellow stalks arise, 

With bannered heads unfurled, 
Here you may greet the Great King 
Wheat, 

The ruler of the world. 

Oh, hills may shake and vales resound 

Beneath the flying car, 
And driven by steam and winds a-beam 

Our ships ride fast and far; 
Cities may crumble 'neath the guns 

Which guard our flag unfurled, 
Yet all shall greet— at last— King Wheat, 

For hunger rules the world. 

Ninette M. Lowater. 

HOSANNAH AND HUZZAH. 

ERE ever the guns are silenced ; 
Ere ever the mandate, Peace ! 
Shall fall on the raging nations, 

Shall bid all their warfare cease ; 
Ere ever the lamb in slumber 

Lies safe 'neath the lion's paw, 
We will cry to the East ; Hosannah ! 
We will call to the West : Huzzah ! 



THE WAR. 599 

A hymn to the God of Battles, 

Who giveth the conq'ring sword, 
Who harks to the cry for justice, 

Who bends for the weak one's word; 
A hymn for the grandest triumph, 

E'er given the world to cheer, 
We will lift that the East may hearken, 

We will sing that the West may hear. 

Far over the waving banners 

The foundry's flame-plumes swirl; 
And over the stoker blazons 

The flag which we helped unfurl, 
But if o'er our hearthstone hovers 

The glory of sacrifice — 
We will make to the East no moanings, 

We will make to the West no cries. 

The fires of conquest kindle ; 

The clang of our sword sounds far; 
The lion purs as he watches 

His whelp at the game of war. 
But ere we forget in our triumph, 

And lest we grow faint in our cause, 
We will cry to the East Hosannas, 

We will shout to the West Huzzahs. 

Grace Duffie Boylan. 

A SONG OF PEACE. 

PEACE in the sunlight, and peace in 
the rain ; 

Peace where in meadows the wild doves 
complain ; 

Peace on the fields that were red with the 
slain — 

Peace in God's country forever ! 

Peace where the great ships have roared 

with their guns — 
Where the battle-smoke darkened all stars 

and all suns, 
Peace in the hearts of the patriot ones — 
Peace in God's country forever ! 

Peace, where no lightnings from heaven 

are hurled ; 
Where the loved flag of freedom forever's 

unfurled — 
Where the red stripes of glory shall gar- 
land the world — 
Peace in God's country forever ! 

F. L. Stanton. 



600 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



MEMORIAL POEM. 

Written for the National Peace Jubilee 
at Philadelphia. 

THE peace we longed to keep 
Our fate denied, 
Reluctant we awoke, as from a sleep, 
And saw the face of duty deified. 
We followed with dismay 
The awful hand 
That drew us, step by step, along the way 
And pointed to an agonizing land. 

Nearer it led and nearer 

To dreadful death. 
While ever to the spirit whispers clearer 
A voice that promised something 

more than breath ; 

A voice that prophesied 
Of victory, 
Through mildness and compassion sancti- 
fied, 

Of conquest that ennobles and makes 
free. 

America to-day 

Binds in her hair 
The olive and the undecaying bay; 
An adult Nation, gloriously fair, 
Who with a mother's pride 
Her children gave, 
Who feels her triumph, as her oceans, 
wide, 

And sorrows for her unreturning brave. 

Peace is their martyr's crown; 

No length of years 
Can chill her love or lessen their renown! 
But ah ! her paean falters hushed in tears. 

Who are these advancing 

With bugle note and drum ; 
Their bayonets far glancing? 
. Say who are those that come? 
They are thy sons, Great Mother ! 
Such sons hath any other ? 
Be comforted and bless them as they come! 

Be comforted ! Though all 
Respond not to thy voice, 



Though thine impassioned call 
Some answer not, nor hear ; 

O, Mother with thy valiant ones rejoice, 
Who died for man, not glory, 
And live in deathless story, 

Joined to the names imperishably dear! 

Blessed who fall for Freedom, 

Where her flag triumphant waves ; 
Blessed who sleep in quiet, 

With her laurel on their graves, 
Remembered through the echoing years 
And hallowed by a nation's thankful 
tears! 

And blest, O blest, the living, 
Who fill our hearts with hope and glad 
forgiving; 

Who midst the battle's deaf 'ning roar, 
When fell the ranks, like autumn leaves, 
Guarded the standard of the free, 
The aegis of their victory; 
Who, fevered, and an-hungered bore 
The more appalling tests of tragic war, 
And laureate return, and bring to us 
their sheaves ! 

America, my home, how dear to-day ! 
In beauty and augmented splendor, 
With smile of mother-love so tender, 

It must each sacrifice for thee repay. 
Thou standest regnant and secure, 
Thy hands extended to the helpless poor, 

Thy war-like brows unbent, thine armor 
laid away. 

To love devoutly is to pray, 
O Land ! for thee, in thy victorious hour, 

We lift our souls in supplication, 
That righteousness may sanctify thy power 
And fill thee with that purer exaltation 
Which bides with those who highest hests 
obey. 

Oh, may the lips that praise thy strength, 
Laud thee for justice, rather, and for 
truth, 

Welling immediate from thy heart of 
youth 

To bless thy children first, and all man- 
kind at length. 

Florence Earle Coates. 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



601 



A CENTURY OF PEACE. 

A CENTURY of peace has dawned; 
the North and South are plighted, 
And all their lovers' quarrels have been 

forever righted. 
There is no North there is no South, no 

Johnny Reb to bandy; 
No feud, no scores to settle up — no Yan- 
kee Doodle Dandy. 

What have we, then ? A land serene, 

united, heart-to-hand, sir. 
Which, like a sum of numbers, never 

yields but one true answer. 
Who have we, then, in this great land, 

above its bonded boodle, 
With Northern pluck and Southern nerve ? 

His name is Dixie Doodle ! 

Then hip, hurrah ! for this brave youth, 
unbought of bond or boodle — 

The conqueror of future worlds — the grow- 
ing Dixie Doodle ! 

WHEN DEWEY COMES BACK. 

THEY say that Dewey's coming back 
To take a short vacation, 
And when he does there'll surely be 

A lot of jubilation. 
For everybody in the land, 

From youngest to the oldest, 
Will rush to see the hero who 
Is reckoned as the boldest. 

They want to see the man who led 

His fleet where dangers bristled, 
And who was coolest when he stood 

Where Spanish missiles whistled ; 
The man who bravely sailed where Dons 

Had big torpedoes scattered, 
Who banged aw r ay until their ships 

To pieces he had battered. 

Yes, he's the man they want to see, 

And far they'll go to meet him ; 
They'll strain their eyes as he draws near, 

And joyfully they'll greet him. 
The women, too, will all turn out, 

The matrons and the misses, 
And all the pretty girls will try 

To favor him with kisses. 



Upon him then will be conferred 

The freedom of the cities, 
And every band in every town 

Will play its choicest ditties. 
Each orator will hail him with 

Most eloquent expressions, 
And all the citizens will join 

In forming big processions. 

Long pent up joy will then break loose, 

And like a flood go sweeping, 
And on Manila's hero then 

All honors we'll be heaping. 
Yes, when brave Dewey comes back home 

There'll be a grand ovation, 
For he's the darling and the pride 

Of all this mighty nation. 

RED, WHITE AND BLUE. 

Red- 
High overhead 
Sparkles the banner of Mars ! 
Red— 
Under the tread 
Poppies asleep 'neath the stars ! 

Blue— 
— Steadfast and true 
Bends the wide arch of the sky ! 
Blue— 
Tenderest hue — 
Chosen of violets shy. 

White— 
Shineth the right, 
Until the struggle shall cease ! 

— Pure as the light, 
Blossom the lilies of peace. 

Jennie Betts Hartswick. 

TWO FLAGS. 

OLD flag of the " far-flung battle line," 
New flag of the ie noble, free. " 
Twain in stress of a vanishing time, 
One in the glory to be. 

The same tints stream from your gleaming 
folds, 

Your symbols alike ye drew 
Whence meteors flash, and planet holds 
High court in the vaulted blue. 



602 POETRY OF 

Over the same proud race unfurled, 

Race of the stern shibboleth ; 
Ever tyranny hellward be hurled, 

Liberty give us, or death ! 

Where Freedom beckons on foam or field, 

Alike ye flame in the van ; 
And cross or star on each azure shield 

Flash signals of hope to man. 

Entwine, and peace comes to the ages, 
Light to the regions of gloom, 

The triumph of hopes of the sages — 
Deserts turned gardens of bloom. 

Dark counsels be banished forever, 
Where mouthing malice is rife, 

Be palsied the hand that would sever 
Or dash thee together in strife. 

Hail, flag of the " far-flung battle line; " 

Hail, flag of the " noble, free ! " 
Twain in stress of a vanishing time, 

One in the glory to be. 

John Brogan. 

AT THE FAREWELL. 

LET the starry banners fly ! 
While our boys go marching by, 
While there are, beneath the folds 
Of the flag the sergeant holds, 
Many faces we hold dear — 
Many kindred we revere. 

Let the starry banners fly ! 
For their reflex in the eye 
Of each shouting follower of 
Those the ensign waves above ; 
Is a picture good to see 
In our Nation's history ! 

Let the starry banners fly ! 
Wealth of gold could never buy 
Bunting bathed in holier red, 
Than the blood our sires have shed ! 
Let the sacred banners fly — 
They have worshipers on High. 

Let the gleaming banners fly ! 
For no stars in yonder sky 
Shine more brightly in the night 
Than our galaxy of white, 
Set in field of color true 
To the tint of heaven's blue. 



THE WAR. 

Then let every banner fly 
While our boys go marching by ! 
Let their last fond glimpse of us 
See Old Glory hovering thus 
O'er our heads — the scene will glow 
In their hearts where'er they go ! 

Let them see as they pass by 
That we hate to say good-bye — 
That we love them as they face 
Duty's call, with patriot grace, 
And — that we they leave behind 
Are the patriotic kind ! 

Joan Ford Lefler. 

A BALLAD OF BLUE=JACKETS. 

THE Don had his will with the Maine! 
He set off his mine with a roar, 
He quaffed to our dead his champagne, 
And laughed till his sides were sore, 
And now he must settle the score, 
And pay for his sport, as is right. 

Our navy is brave as of yore, 
And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Perhaps we are not in the vein — 

We pigs, as he's called us before — 
To laugh at our sailor boys slain, 

And so his brave joke we deplore. 

But flashing a bolt from the shore 
And sinking a ship in the night 

Was murder, our blue jackets swore, — 
And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Our guns at Manila spoke plain, 

And sharp was the message they bore, 

As swift through the squadron of Spain 
Our death-dealing hurricane tore ; 
As, riddled and rent to the core, 

Each cruiser plunged down out of sight. 
''One more for our sailors } one r more ! " 

And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

ENVOY. 

Alfonzo, just add to your store 
Of learning, this sentiment trite, 

Remember the war isn't o'er, 

And Yankee blue-jackets can fight. 

Joe Lincoln. 



POETRY OF 

" 'WAY UP ALOFT." 

SAW you the ship when it left our 
shore, 

And vanished over the blue sea-line, 
To seek an anchorage, safe, once more 

And find a port on the watery brine ? 
Drilled by officers, true to their call, 

Manned by a sturdy, stalwart crew, 
While, waving protectingly over them all, 

Floated the red, white and blue ! 
'Way up aloft ! 

Oh, ship that left such a shining track, 
As she dipped her keel in the ocean's 
foam ; 

Never again will she voyage back 
To the weary, waiting ones at home ! 

She foundered not on the sandy shoals, 
She struck no rock in a treacherous sea, 

But she sank, with her freight of human 
souls, 

In a harbor's sheltering lee ! 

Oh, ship, no more will your sailors leap 

To answer their captain's clarion call, 
The jolly tars stern silence keep 

With the waves for their funeral pall ! 
For while they slumbered, a cruel blast 

Sundered the strong-girt deck in twain, 
Rent and shivered the bulwarks vast, 

Of our gallant battleship Maine! 

Oh, ship, that swept from our sight so 
fast, 

Answering the touch of the helmsman's 
hand, 

Only to lose all your cargo at last, 

And find your grave in a foreign land. 
Remember the Maine ! Wipe out the 
debt ! 

While children cry and the widows 
weep, 

Shall we, as a nation, so soon forget 
The spot where our sailors sleep ! 

Oh, mariners, man your ships of war, 
And speed, swift, over the outstretched 
sea; 

Chart your course by humanity's law 
And make your soundings for liberty : 

The compass points with hand so sure 
To justice for those, our nation's dead ; 

With God for our pilot — a purpose, pure, 



THE WAR. 603 

And our loved flag overhead ! 
'Way up aloft ! 

Anna B. Patten. 

THOSE WHO GO FORTH TO BATTLE. 

" In Rama was there a voice heard, 
Rachel weeping for her children." 

I AM but one of the many — the mothers 
who weep and who mourn 
For the dear sons slain in the battle. Oh ! 

burden of sorrow borne 
At the thought of their needed comforts, 

their hardships along the way ! 
But we prayed to Thee, loving Father, to 

sustain them day by day ; 
Now our hearts are dumb in our anguish, 
and our lips refuse to pray. 

They are slain in the cruel battle, the pit- 
iless chance of war ! 

From the homes that they were the light 
of, from those that they loved afar, 

With no mother-kisses to soothe them, no 
ministry of loving hand ! 

But 'tis well with them, now and forever, 
for they live in the " better land," 

Where Thy peace shall abide forever, and 
never an armed band. 

For they were Thy heroes, dear Father ; 
they fell as Thy heroes fall, 

And loyal, and true, and undaunted, they 
answered their country's call; 

They laid their young lives on her altar, 
for her will their blood was shed ; 

And now there is naught that can com- 
fort the mothers whose hearts have 
bled 

For the sons who went to the battle, by 
the chance of the battle dead. 

! God, Thou hast tender pity, and love 

for the broken in heart, 

But not even Thou can'st comfort, for 
there is no comfort apart 

From the son who went out from my cling- 
ing : O God, I cry to Thee ! 

1 grope in the darkness to clasp him — 

that darkness that hides from me 
The sight of Thy hand, dear Father ! 
though outstretched to comfort it 
be. 

Isidor D. French. 



604 POETRY OF 

PSCTURE OF WAR. 

SPIRIT of light and life ! when battle 
rears 

Her fiery brow and her terrific spears ! 
When red-mouthed cannon to the clouds 
uproar, 

And gasping thousands make their beds in 

gore, 

While on the billowy bosom of the air 
Roll the dead notes of anguish and des- 
pair ! 

Unseen, thou walk'st upon the smoking 
plain, 

And hear' st each groan that gurgles from 
the slain ! 

List ! war peals thunder on the battle- 
field, 

And many a hand grasps firm the glitter- 
ing shield, 
As on, with helm and plume, the warriors 
[• come, 

And the glad hills repeat their stormy 
drum ! 

And now are seen the youthful and the 
gray, 

With bosoms firing to partake the fray ; 
The first, with hearts that consecrate the 
deed, 

All eager rush to vanquish or to bleed ! 
Like young waves racing in the morning 
sun, 

That rear and leap with reckless fury on ! 

But mark yon war-worn man, who looks 
on high, 

With thought and valor mirrored in his 
eye ! 

Not all the gory revels of the day 
Can fright the vision of his home away; 
The home of love, and its associate smiles, 
His wife's endearment, and his baby's 
wiles : 

Fights he less brave through recollected 
bliss, 

With step retreating, or with sword remiss? 
Ah no ! remembered home's the warrior's 
charm, 

Speed to his sword, and vigor to his arm; 
For this he supplicates the God afar, 
Fronts the steeled foe, and mingles in the 
war ! 



THE WAR. 

The cannon's hushed ! — nor drum, nor 

clarion sound: 
Helmet and hauberk gleam upon the 

ground ; 

Horseman and horse lie weltering in their 

gore; 

Patriots are dead, and heroes dare no 
more ; 

While solemnly the moonlight shrouds 
the plain, 

And lights the lurid features of the slain ! 

And see ! on this rent mound, where 
daisies sprung, 

A battle- steed beneath his rider flung ; 

Oh ! never more he'll rear with fierce de- 
light, 

Roll his red eyes, and rally for the fight ! 
Pale on his bleeding breast the warrior 
lies, 

While from his ruffled lids the white- 
swelled eyes 
Ghastly and grimly stare upon the skies ! 

Afar, with bosom bared unto the breeze, 
White lips, and glaring eyes, and shiver- 
ing knees, 

A widow o'er her martyred soldier moans, 
Loading the night-winds with delirious 
groans ! 

Her blue-eyed babe, unconscious orphan 
he ! 

So sweetly prattling in his cherub glee, 
Leers on his lifeless sire with infant wile, 
And plays and plucks him for a parent's 
smile ! 

But who, upon the battle-wasted plain, 
Shall count the faint, the gasping, and the 
slain ? 

Angel of Mercy ! ere the blood-fount 
chill, 

And the brave heart be spiritless and 
still, 

Amid the havoc thou art hovering nigh, 
To calm each groan, and close each dy- 
ing eye, 

And waft the spirit to that halcyon shore, 
Where war's loud thunders lash the winds 
no more ! 

Robert Montgomery. 



POETRY OF 

PATRIOTS AND PIRATES. 

WE praise the heroes of a long-dead 
time, 

The Spartan or the Roman or the Gaul, 
We flatter in oration or in rhyme 

The dusty corpses deaf and dumb to all. 
But here we find beside our very door 
True heroes who are battling for the 
right- 
True heroes, brave as any braves of yore, 
True heroes, targets of the tyrant's 
might. 

We prate of wrongs our own forefathers 
felt, 

But these have suffered more a thousand 
fold: 

We boast of brave blows those forefathers 
dealt, 

But unto these, our neighhors, we are 
cold. 

We sigh for sufferings of the ancient years, 
While men to-day are tortured, hanged 
and shot, 

While starving babes and women shed 
their tears, 
And while this island Eden seems a 
blot. 

Like gaping listeners at some passing 
show, 

Who melt with pity at an actor's tears, 
Applauding, bent with passion to and fro 

At glimpses of fictitious hopes and fears. 
So we have sighed and sobbed for other 
times, 

Mourned over urns, hissed tyrants 
turned to clay, 
Yet idly watched the century's crown of 
crimes 

And saw true heroes die like dogs to- 
day. 

Strange, that a people once themselves 
oppressed, 
Heed not the patriots fighting to be 
free ; 

Strange, they who braved the Briton's 
lion crest, 
Should let a murderous pirate braggart 
be! 

O, shame too great for puny human 
words, 



THE WAR. 605 

When gold and silver rule the tongue 
and pen ! 

The eagle in the air is king of birds, 
The eagle on the dollar king of men! 

O Cuba, as in stories of the past, 

Transcendent beauty brought transcen- 
dent woe, 

Thou, in thy peerless loveliness at last, 
Hast seen thy queenly glories sinking 
low. 

When Elsa, slandered, breathed her fer- 
vent prayer, 
There came her true knight of the holy 
grail; 

But no true knight will heed thy deep 
despair 

And hasten with a swan wing for a sail. 

Ah, yes, at last it comes — the swan, the 
swan ! 

O, fairest lady, see thy true knight here! 
With white wings fluttering in the roseate 
dawn, 

His bark shall blanch thy tyrant's cheek 
with fear. 

Before the fast feet of the northern gale 
He comes to face thy false accuser, 
Spain ; 

O, fairest lady, dream no more of fail ; 
Those heroes, Cuba, have not died in 
vain. 

WAR. 

WHAT worse, you ask, than useless 
war — 

Sunk ships, stormed cities, States down- 
hurled — 

The thunderous hammer-strokes of Thor 
That crash the rock-ribs of the world ? 

What worse than horrid war ? O cease 
The coward cry ; is not the curse 

Of vile and ignominious peace, 

Bought with the price of honor, worse? 

What worse than war? A sullied fame ; 

The scoff of heroes and the scorn 
Of history and song ; the shame — 

The taint — corrupting sons unborn. 

Better is war than sordid gain 

Wrung from the servile; better far 



606 POETRY OF THE WAR. 



Than manhood lost and virtue slain, 
Is war, war, everlasting war ! 

Alas ! I, too, lament the woe 

That war must bring — the blood, the 
tears ; 

Yet Right, to vanquish Wrong, I know 
Must oft beat pruning-hooks to spears. 

! When fallen Liberty's sweet breast 

Throbs bare below the Spaniard's knife, 
Pause not to drool of worst or best — 
First save the bleeding victim's life. 

Two strokes sublime Columbia's hand 
Hath dealt in war — one stroke to save 

From foreign sway our native land — 
One stroke to free the negro slave. 

Now, once again the great sword awes 
The despot — flames o'er land and sea — 

A volunteer in Cuba's cause ; 
Spain falls, and Cuba rises, free ! 

W. H. Venable. 

AMERICA SHALL BE FREE. 

EACH patriot heart to-day is thrilled, 
Each cry of conscience now is stilled, 
For Cuba's rights the nation spoke, 
And at the word the Spanish yoke 
That wet with blood had come to be, 
Fell, riven, from a people free. 

No more as slaves shall Cuba's fair 
In cringing aspect tremble there 
Before those despots harsh and rude, 
Who pitied none, whose souls so crude 
They cared for naught but Castile's lust, 
Though humbling millions low in dust. 

Lead on, ye sons of freedom's birth, 
Till every soul around the earth 
Shall breathe the air as free as we, 
Aad serve no master save but He 
Who rules the universe from high, 
And loveth all beneath the sky. 

No higher mission binds us here ; 
Firm in the right, we know not fear. 
In justice' name we launch our boats, 
In freedom's cause our flag e'er floats. 
Each shot that leaves the cannon's mouth, 
In echoes wide from north to south, 
Proclaims to all, from sea to sea, 
America shall all be free. 



THE STORY OF A DRUM. 

A REGIMENT in motion and the rat- 
tle of a drum, 
With a rat, tat, tat ! and rat, tat turn ! 
Fear is on the face of some, 
Others stopping with aplomb ; 
And steady is the patter and the clatter 
01 the drum. 

Sweeping lines in evolution, fast the wheel- 
ing columns come ; 
And a thousand men are stepping to the 
tapping of the drum ! 
There are countenances glum, 
There are senses dull and numb, 
But a boy is stepping proudly there, he's 
playing on the drum. 

The rage and roar of battle, and the rattle 
of a drum, 

The shrapnel shot are flying with a zip ! 
and a zum ! 
Cruel shells exploding come, 
And the bullets hiss and hum, 
But a drum still echoes loudly. Will the 
thing be never mum ? 

Darkness on the field of battle, where the 

body seekers come ! 
The storm of death is ended, and dis- 
played the struggle's sum — 
A pallid face, a drum ; 
There is blood, and both are dumb. 
A story of a drummer and a story of a 
drum. T. E McGrath. 

DEWEY'S COMING. 

THEY say that Dewey's comin' ; that's 
the word from lips to lips ! 
I'm talkin' 'bout the feller that sunk all 

the Spanish ships 
In the far Manila harbor ! An', good 

folks, when Dewey comes, 
There'll be blowin' of the bugles, there'll 
be beatin' of the drums ! 

They say that Dewey's comin' ; he's the 

feller that we like ! 
He knew when all the tempest told the 

lightnin' where to strike ! 
He knew the very moment when the 

thunder beat its drums, 
And we'll blow the sweetest bugles when 

Mister Dewey comes ! 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



607 



A CUBAN EPISODE. 

J'-pWAS in front of Santiago, and the 

1 loudly screaming shell 
Commingled with the cannon's roar and 

ringing Yankee yell; 
While the rattling bullets and the cries of 

fear and pain 
Combined to make a picture none will 

want to see again. 

The Spaniards held the trenches and de- 
clared they'd never run 

From all the Yankee porkers that were 
rooting 'neath the sun ; 

We soon found they were foemen not un- 
worthy of our steel, 

And some of us, I'm very sure, uneasy 
quite did feel. 

This was my first experience in real war's 

inhuman ways, 
And I found it very different from what 

F d seen in plays ; 
But I screwed my courage up and resolved 

to blaze away 
And do some deed of valor that would 

help to save the day. 

I aimed at a fat captain, with a large and 

roomy front — 
Big game I always do select when I start 

out to hunt — 
I pulled the trigger, and there was a 

sharp, resounding crack, 
And that Spanish captain doubled up, 

just like a jumping-jack. 

'Twas then my conscience smote me and 

shivers through me ran, 
As I thought how I'd deliberately shot 

down a fellow man. 
Yet, while my knees were shaking — my 

courage almost flown — 
I smiled to think 'twas painless, for he 

didn't even groan. 

But when the fight was ended, 'mong 

prisoners at the rear, 
I found my robust captain, still alive, 

but acting queer. 
His stomach seemed to hurt him, and, 

asking how he felt, 
I learned my shot I'd wasted — on the 

buckle of his belt. 



PRAISE FOR OUR HEROES. 

ALL praise to this nation, and the stars 
and stripes 
The Army and Navy when both combined, 
They planted the standard in Manila, 

Santiago and Porto Rico also. 
The Spaniards cleared out when they saw 
this emblem afloat. 

All praise to brave Dewey, that hero of 
fame ; 

He conquered the Spaniards on the first 

day of May ; 
He sunk them and swamped them with 

tactics and skill, 
Himself and his heroes with a triumphant 

will. 

All praise to brave Sampson and Schley 
also ; 

They chased Cervera wherever he did go. 
He thought to get away his manoeuvers 

and schemes, 
But the Fourth of July saw his whole fleet 
Strewn along Santiago's beautiful bay. 

All praise to George Washington, that 

hero of old. 
He conquered the English and did them 

overthrow. 

He was like St. Patrick when he banished 

the snakes 
Out of Ireland not to return again, 
And he forbid the English to cross the 

Atlantic to the U. States. 

All praise to Jack Barry, that saucy Wex- 
ford boy, 

He disposed Lord Howe with his gold 

and his bribes. 
He sunk their old hulks with contempt 

and disdain, 
He would not disgrace old Ireland nor 

put a stain on his name. 

All praise to those heroes of Revolution- 
ary fame, 

They fought with perseverance till they 
banished the pirates and knaves, 

They won most victorious, most glorious 
to relate, 

And they gave a name to this country 
called the United States. 

Thomas O'Shea. 



608 



POETRY OF THE WAR. 



THE SOLDIER'S DREAM. 

OUR bugles sang truce ; for the night- 
cloud had lowered, 
And the sentinel stars set their watch 
in the sky ; 
And thousands had sunk on the ground 
overpowered — 
The weary to sleep, and the wounded 
to die. 

When reposing that night on my pallet 
of straw, 

By the wolf-scaring fagot that guarded 
the slain, 

At the dead of the night a sweet vision I 
saw, 

And thrice ere the morning I dreamt 
it again. 

Methought from the battle-field's dread- 
ful array 

Far, far I had roamed on a desolate 
track : 

'Twas Autumn — and sunshine arose on 
the way 

To the home of my fathers, that wel- 
comed me back. 

I flew to the pleasant fields, traversed so 
oft 

In life's morning march, when my 
bosom was young ; 
I heard my own mountain-goats bleating 
aloft, 

And knew the sweet strain that the 
corn-reapers sung. 

Then pledged we the wine cup, and 

fondly I swore - 
From my home and my weeping friends 

never to part : 
My little ones kissed me a thousand times 

o'er, 

And my wife sobbed aloud in her ful- 
ness of heart. 

Stay, stay with us ! — rest ; thou art weary 
and worn ! — 
And fain was their war-broken soldier 
to stay ; 

But sorrow returned with the dawning of 
morn, 



And the voice in my dreaming ear 
melted away. 

Thomas Campbell. 

THE BABY AND THE SOLDIERS. 

ROUGH and ready the troopers ride, 
Great bearded men, with swords by 
side ; 

They have ridden long, they have ridden 
hard, 

They are travel-stained and battle-scarred ; 

The hard ground shakes with their mar- 
tial tramp, 

And coarse is the laugh of the men in 
camp. 

They reach the spot where the mother 

stands 

With a baby clapping its little hands, 
Laughing aloud at the gallant sight 
Of the mounted soldiers fresh from the 
fight. 

The Captain laughs out: "I'll give you 
this, 

A handful of gold, your baby to kiss." 

Smiles the mother : " A kiss can't be sold, 
But gladly he'll kiss a soldier bold." 
He lifts the baby with manly grace 
And covers with kisses its smiling face, 
Its rosy lips and its dimpled charms, 
And it crows with delight in the soldier's 
arms. 

"Not all for the Captain," the soldiers 
call ; 

"The baby, we know, has one for all." 
To the soldiers' breasts the baby is pressed 
By the strong, rough men, and by turns 
caressed, 

And louder it laughs, and the mother fair, 
Smiles with mute joy as the kisses they 
share. 

" Just such a kiss," cries one trooper grim, 
" When I left my boy I gave to him; " 
"And just such a kiss on the parting day 
I gave to my girl as asleep she lay." 
Such were the words of the soldiers brave, 
And their eyes were moist as the kiss they 
gave. 



Colonel Roosevelt's Reports on 
the Battle of San Juan. 



WO reports made by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt to his superior 
officer in front of Santiago in July were given out by the War 
Department at Washington, December 22, 1898. Both reports 
describe the operations of the Rough Riders in the battle of San 
Juan, the second telling a much fuller story. 

In his first report, dated July 4th, he mentions by name many of the 
troopers who distinguished themselves by their bravery. This part of the 
report, which was made by Roosevelt as lieutenant-colonel, in charge of the 
regiment, to Colonel Wood, temporarily in charge of the brigade, was as 
follows : 

"We went into the fight about four hundred and ninety strong. Eighty- 
six were killed or wounded and there are half a dozen missing. The great 
heat prostrated nearly forty men, some of them among the best in the regi- 
ment. Besides Captain O'Neill and Lieutenant Haskell, who were killed, 
Lieutenants Leahy, Devereaux and Case were wounded, All behaved with 
great gallantry. As for Captain O'Neill, his loss is one of the severest that 
could have befallen the regiment. He was a man of cool head, great execu- 
tive ability and literally dauntless courage. 

Praises Officers and Troopers. 

" To attempt to give a list of the men who showed signal valor would 
necessitate sending in an almost complete roster of the regiment. Many of 
the cases which I mention stand merely as examples of the rest, not as 
exceptions. 

"Captain Jenkins acted as Major and showed such conspicuous gallantry 
and efficiency that I earnestly hope he may be promoted to major as soon as 
a vacancy occurs. Captains Lewellen, Muller and Luna led their troops 
throughout the charges, handling them admirably. At the end of the battle 
Lieutenants Kane, Greenwood and Goodrich were in charge of their troops 
immediately under my eye, and I wish particularly to commend their conduct 
throughout. 

39 609 




610 ROOSEVELT'S REPORTS ON BATTLE OF SAN JUAN. 



" Corporals Waller and Fortescue and Trooper McKinley, of Troop E • 
Corporal Rhoades, of Troop D ; Troopers Albertson, Winter, McGregor and 
Ray Clark, of Troop F; Troopers Bugbee, Jackson and Waller, of Troop A; 
Trumpeter McDonald, of Troop L; Sergeant Hughes, of Troop B, and 
Trooper Goison, of Troop G, all continued to fight after being wounded, 
some very severely. Most of them fought until the end of the day. Trooper 
Oliver B. Morton, of B, who, with his brother, was by my side all through- 
out the charging, was killed while fighting with marked gallantry. 

" Sergeant Ferguson, Corporal Lee and Troopers Bell and Carroll, of 
Troop K ; Sergeant Dame, of Troop E ; Troopers Goodwin, Campbell and 
Dudley Dean, Trumpeter Foster, of Troop B, and Troopers Greenwold and 
Bardehan, of Troop A, are all worthy of special mention for coolness and 
gallantry. They all merit promotion when the time comes. 

" But the most conspicuous gallantry was shown by Trooper Rowland. 
He was wounded in the side in our first fight, but kept in the firing line. He 
was sent to the hospital the next day, but left it and marched out to us, over- 
taking us, and fought all through this battle with such indifference to danger 
that I was forced again and again to restrain and threaten him for running 
needless risks. 

Had to go Back for His Men. 

" Great gallantry was ajso shown by four troopers whom I cannot identify 
and by Trooper Winslow Clark, of Troop G. It was after we had taken the 
first hill. I had called out to rush the second, and having by that time lost 
my horse, climbed a wire fence and started toward it. 

" After going a couple of hundred yards under a heavy fire, I found that 
no one else had come. As I discovered later, it was simply because in the 
confusion, with men shooting and being shot, they had not noticed me start. 
I told the five men to wait a moment, as it might be misunderstood if we all 
ran back, while I ran back and started the regiment, and as soon as I did so 
the regiment came~with a rush. 

" But meanwhile the five men coolly lay down in the open, returning the 
fire from the trenches. It is to be wondered at that only Clark was seriously 
wounded, and he called out, as we passed again, to lay his canteen where he 
could reach it, but to continue the charge and leave him where he was. All 
the wounded had to be left until after the fight, for we could spare no men 
from the firing line. H Very respectfully, 

" Theodore Roosevelt." 

The second and more important report was addressed to Brigadier General 
Wood, and dated Camp Hamilton, near Santiago, July 20th. It was as follows : 



ROOSEVELT'S REPORTS ON BATTLE OF SAN JUAN. 611 



" Sir — In obedience to your directions I herewith report on the opera- 
tions of my regiment from the 1st to the 17th inst, inclusive. 

" As I have already made you two reports about the first day's operations, 
I shall pass over them rather briefly. 

" On the morning of the first day my regiment was formed at the head of 
the Second brigade, by the El Paso sugar mill. When the batteries opened 
the Spaniards replied to us with shrapnel, which killed and wounded several 
of the men of my regiment. We then marched towards the right, and my 
regiment crossed the ford before the balloon came down there and attracted 
the fire of the enemy, so at that point we lost no one. My orders had been 
to march forward until I joined General Lawton's right wing, but after going 
about three-quarters of a mile, I was halted and told to remain in reserve near 
the creek by a deep lane. 

" The bullets dropped thick among us for the next hour while we lay 
there, and many of my men were killed or wounded. Among the former was 
Captain O'Neill, whose loss was a very heavy blow to the regiment, for he 
was a singularly gallant and efficient officer. Acting Lieutenant Haskell was 
also shot at this time. He showed the utmost courage and had been of great 
use during the fighting and marching. It seems to me some action should 
be taken about him. 

Took the Blockhouse. 

" You then sent me word to move forward in support of the regular 
cavalry, and I advanced the regiment in column of companies, each company 
deployed as skirmishers. We moved through several skirmish lines of the 
regiment ahead of us, as it seemed to me our only chance was in rushing the 
intrenchments in front instead of firing at them from a distance. 

"Accordingly we charged the blockhouse and entrenchments on the hill 
to our right against a heavy fire. It was taken in good style, the men of my 
regiment thus being the first to capture any fortified position and to break 
through the Spanish lines. The guidons of G and E troop were first at this 
point, but some of the men of A and B troops, who were with me personally, 
got in ahead of them. At the last wire fence up this hill I was obliged to 
abandon my horse, and after that we went on foot. 

"After capturing this hill we first of all directed a heavy fire upon the 
San Juan hill to our left, which was at the time being assailed by the regular 
infantry and cavalry, supported by Captain Parker's Gatling guns. By the 
time San Juan was taken a large force had assembled on the hill we had 
previously captured, consisting not only of my own regiment, but of the 
Ninth and portions of other cavalry regiments. 



612 ROOSEVELT'S REPORTS ON BATTLE OF SAN JUAN. 



" We then charged forward under a very heavy fire across the valley 
against the Spanish entrenchments on the hill in the rear of San Juan hill. 
This we also took, capturing several prisoners. 

" We then formed in whatever order we could and moved forward, driving 
the Spanish before us to the crest of the hills in front, which were immedi- 
ately opposite the city of Santiago itself. Here I received orders to halt and 
hold the line on the hill's crest. I had at the time fragments of the Sixth 
Cavalry Regiment and an occasional infantryman under me — three or four 
hundred men all told. As I was the highest there I took command of all 
of them, and so continued till next morning. 

" The Spaniards attempted a counter attack that afternoon, but were easily 
driven back, and then until after dark we remained under a heavy fire from 
their rifles and great guns, lying flat on our faces on a gentle slope just 
behind the crest. 

" Captain Parker's Gatling battery was run up to the right of my regi- 
ment and did most excellent and gallant service. In order to charge the men 
had of course been obliged to throw away their packs, and we had nothing 
to sleep in and nothing to eat. We were lucky enough, however, to find in 
the last blockhouse captured the Spanish dinners, still cooking, which we ate 
with relish. They consisted chiefly cf rice and peas, with a big pot contain- 
ing a stew of fresh meat, probably for the officers. 

" We also distributed the -captured Spanish blankets as far as they would 
go among our men, and gathered a good deal of Mauser ammunition for use 
in the Colt rapid-fire guns, which were being brought up. That night we dug 
entrenchments across the front. 

Stopped Enemy's Advance. 

" At three o'clock in the morning the Spaniards made another attack 
upon us, which was easily repelled, and at four they opened the day with a 
heavy rifle and shrapnel fire. All day long we remained under this, replying 
whenever we got the chance. In the evening at about eight o'clock the 
Spaniards fired three guns and then opened a very heavy rifle fire, their 
skirmishers coming well forward. 

u I got all my men down into the trenches, as did the other command 
near me, and we opened a heavy return fire. The Spanish advance was at 
once stopped, and after an hour their fire died away. This night we com- 
pleted most of our trenches and began to build bomb proofs. The protection 
afforded our men was good, and the next morning I had but one man wounded 
from the rifle and shell fire until twelve o'clock, when the truce came. 

" I do not mention the officers and men who particularly distinguished 



ROOSEVELT'S REPORTS ON BATTLE OF SAN JUAN. 613 



themselves, as I have nothing to add in this respect to what was contained in 
my former letter. 

" There were numerous Red Cross flags flying in the various parts of the 
city, two of them so arranged that they directly covered batteries in our front 
and for some time were the cause of our not firing at them. 

" The Spanish guerrillas were very active, especially in our rear, where 
they seemed by preference to attack the wounded men who were being carried 
on litters, the doctors and medical attendants with Red Cross flags on their 
arms and the burial parties. 

" I organized a detail of sharpshooters and sent them out after the 
guerrillas, of whom they killed thirteen. Two of the men thus killed were 
shot several hours after the truce had been in operation, because, in spite of 
this fact, they kept firing upon our men as they went to draw water. They 
were stationed in the trees, as the guerrillas were generally, and, owing to the 
density of the foliage and to the use of smokeless powder rifles, it was an 
exceedingly difficult matter to locate them. 

Food and Medical Supplies Inadequate. 

" For the next seven days, until the ioth, we lay in our line while the 
truce continued. 

" We had continually to work at additional bombproofs and at the trenches, 
and as we had no proper supply of food and utterly inadequate medical 
facilities the men suffered a good deal. The officers chipped together, pur- 
chased beans, tomatoes and sugar for the men, so that they might have some 
relief from the bacon and hardtack. With a great deal of difficulty we got 
them coffee. 

" As for the sick and wounded, they suffered so in the hospitals when 
sent to the rear for lack of food and attention that we found it best to keep 
them at the front and give them such care as our own doctors could. 

" As I mentioned in my previous letter, thirteen of our wounded men 
continued to fight through the battle in spite of their injuries. In spite of 
their wounds those sent to the rear, many both sick and wounded, came up 
to rejoin us as soon as their condition allowed them to walk. 

" On the ioth the truce was at an end and the bombardment reopened. 
As far as our lines were concerned, it was on the Spanish part very feeble. 
We suffered no losses, and speedily got the fire from their trenches in our 
front completely under control. 

"On the nth we moved three-quarters of a mile to the right, the truce 
again being on. 

" Nothing happened there, except we continued to watch and do our 



614 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



best to get the men, especially the sick, properly fed. Having no transpor- 
tation, and being able to get hardly any through the regular channels, we 
used anything we could find — captured Spanish cavalry horses, abandoned 
mules, some of which had been injured, but which our men took and cured* 
diminutive, skinny ponies purchased from the Cubans, etc. 

" By these means and by the exertions of the officers we were able from 
time to time to get supplies of beans, sugar, tomatoes and even oatmeal, 
while from the Red Cross people we got our invaluable load of rice, corn 
meal, etc. 

" All of this was of the utmost consequence, not only for the sick, but 
for those nominally well, as the lack of proper food was telling terribly on 
the men. It was utterly impossible to get them clothes and shoes. Those 
they had were in many cases literally dropping to pieces. 

"On the 17th the city surrendered. On the 18th we shifted camp to 
here, the best camp we have had, but the march hither under the noonday 
sun told very heavily on our men, weakened by underfeeding and overwork, 
and the next morning 123 cases were reported to the doctor, and I now have 
but half of the 600 men with which I landed four weeks ago, fit for duty, and 
these are not fit to do anything like the work they could do then. 

" As we had but one wagon, the change necessitated leaving much of my 
stuff behind, with a night of discomfort, with scanty shelter and scanty food 
for the most of the officers and many of the men. Only the possession of 
the improvised pack train alluded to above saved us from being worse. 

" Yesterday I sent in a detail of six officers and men to see if they could 
not purchase or make arrangements for a supply of proper food and proper 
clothing for the men, even if we had to pay it out of our own pockets. Our 
suffering has been due primarily to lack of transportation and of proper food 
or sufficient clothing and of medical supplies. 

" We should now have wagon sheets for tentage. Very respectfully, 

PEACE JUBILEES. 

In October many towns and cities in all parts of the United States held 
Peace Jubilees, to commemorate the end of the war, and express the public 
satisfaction over its results. 

Chicago's great peace jubilee began on Monday, October 17th, and con- 
tinued for several days. President and Mrs. McKinley were present, with 
several members of the Cabinet, many foreign ministers and secretaries^ 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



615 



Senators, Representatives, Governors, officers of the army and navy, mayors 
of cities, prelates of the churches and other distinguished men. 

Arches were erected across many streets and named in honor of army 
and navy heroes of the Spanish war. Flags and bunting decorated every 
building in the downtown district. Countless lines of electric lights were 
strung for illluminating the streets and every preparation was made to 
celebrate the victories at Manila and Santiago. There were banquets, parades 
and a jubilee ball, and the city was crowded for many days. j 

The jubilee was inaugurated with a union thanksgiving service at the 
Auditorium. President McKinley attended and listened to addresses by a 
Jewish rabbi, a Roman Catholic priest, a Presbyterian clergyman and a noted 
colored orator. The applause for the President was terrific, and at one time he 
was compelled to rise in his box and respond to the frantic cheering of the 
audience. The services, however, were of a religious character. 

The President's party was driven to the Auditorium at 8 o'clock, and all 
along the way people lined the streets to watch the passage of the President's 
carriage. Easily 12,000 people were within the great Auditorium, and prob- 
ably as many more were on the outside unable to obtain admittance. 

A^great public meeting was held in the Auditorium on Tuesday. The 
presiding officer, George R. Peck, spoke briefly. The President was unde- 
monstrative until Mr. Peck said, in reference to peace, " We have given good 
lives for it, and every life makes it more precious." Then the President 
applauded. A moment later the orator struck another chord, which seemed 
to arouse the enthusiasm of the nation's chief. " Our greatest victory," he 
said, " is the supreme victory which the North and South have won over each 
other." At this the President and all applauded vigorously. 

President McKinley Speaks. 

As President McKinley and party arose to leave there were loud calls 
for the Chief Executive. For fully five minutes the enthusiasm of the audi- 
ence would not let him speak. Then he spoke as follows : " My fellow citi- 
zens, I have been deeply moved by this great demonstration. I have been 
deeply touched by the words of patriotism that have been uttered by the dis- 
tinguished men so eloquently in your presence. 

" It is gratifying to all of us to know that this has never ceased to be a 
war of humanity. The last ship that went out of the harbor of Havana 
before war was declared was an American ship that had taken to the suffering 
people of Cuba the supplies furnished by American charity (applause), and 
the first ship to sail into the harbor of Santiago was an American ship bearing 
food supplies to the suffering Cubans (applause), and I am sure it is the uni- 



616 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



versal prayer of American citizens that justice and humanity and civilization 
shall characterize the final settlement of peace, as they have distinguished 
the progress of the war. (Applause.) 

u My countrymen, the currents of destiny flow through the hearts of our 
people. Who will check them, who will divert them, who will stop them ? 
And the movements of men, planned and designed by the Master of Men, 
will never be interrupted by the American people." (Great applause.) 

The military parade occupied Wednesday, and so great was the crowd 
of people along the route that the police had great difficulty in keeping an 
open passage for the men in line. 

McKinley Arouses Enthusiasm. 

The President rose and uncovered as the veterans of the civil war 
passed him. This aroused the enthusiasm of the spectators and he was 
cheered time and again. 

When the last man in line had gone by the President was escorted to the 
Union League Club, where he partook of luncheon as the guest of the club. 
More than a thousand persons were at the table, including the guests of the 
city and prominent members of the organization. 

While the President was at luncheon a great crowd outside called for 
him. They would not be denied, and the President stepped out on the 
reviewing stand. As soon a's quiet was restored he said : 

" I witness with pride and satisfaction the cheers of the multitudes as the 
veterans of the civil war on both sides of the contest have been reviewed. 
(Great applause.) I witness with increasing pride the wild acclaim of the 
people as you watch the volunteers and the regulars and our naval reserves 
(the guardians of the people on land and sea) pass before your eyes. The 
demonstration of to-day is worth everything to our country, for I read in the 
faces and hearts of my countrymen the purpose to see to it that this govern- 
ment, with its free institutions, shall never perish from the face of the 
earth. 

" I wish I might take the hand of every patriotic woman, man and child 
here to-day. (Applause.) But I cannot do that. (Voice from the crowd, 
' But you've got our hearts,' followed by prolonged cheering). 

" And so I leave with you not only my thanks, but the thanks of this 
great nation, for your patriotism and devotion to the flag." (Great cheering.) 

On the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th of October a National Jubilee to com- 
memorate the return of peace drew to Philadelphia the most notable officials 
of the Government, and the most renowned commanders and heroes of the 
war. The festivities, which were attended by hundreds of thousands of people, 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



617 



who exhibited their patriotism in every possible way, began with a great 
Naval Parade on the Delaware on the afternoon of the 25th. 

The Naval Review was one of the grandest spectacles that has ever been 
witnessed in this country. Every craft on the river, from the usually incon- 
sequential tugboat to the fleet of massive warships that honored the city with 
its presence, and from the dingy rowboat to every sailing vessel of material 
size, was gayly decorated. The multitude of piers that project into the stream 
on both sides of the river were likewise beautified by a generous display of 
flags and bunting. The whole scene was inspiring, and, with each Govern- 
ment vessel booming forth a salute of seventeen guns to the Secretary of the 
Navy as he passed the moored monsters of war on the luxurious steam yacht 
May, the spirit of patriotism was so manifest that one's sense of love for 
country demonstrated itself in long and loud cheers. 

Every class of vessel in the United States navy was represented in the 
motionless line of warships, from the great massive battleship down to the 
daring torpedo-boat, as well as that valuable arm of the service represented 
by the transport and the despatch-boat. The crowd of sightseers realized 
that, in the battles of the war, all of them performed their duty in the spirit 
as well as to the letter, on scouting service, or in carrying despatches, on 
blockade duty, or in pitched engagements, and all, with the heroes on board 
of them, were accorded that enthusiastic reception which a loyal American 
people are capable of giving. The men were not forgotten in the admiration 
of the ships. It is a matter of history that every man, wherever found, down 
in the engine-room, among the stokers, or behind the guns, performed his 
whole duty, and the cheering was for them as well as for the ships which 
they manned. 

War Vessels Greeted with Unbounded Enthusiasm. 

Following the Secretary of the Navy the great crowds on the boats in 
the line of parading vessels, over two miles long, cheered lustily as they 
glided slowly by in their turn in single file. The Columbia came in for her 
share of applause, and then the Mayflower recalled by her presence her 
excellent record, and she was cheered. But when the New Orleans, that 
defiant cruiser whose telling shots were felt by the Spanish forts on the coast 
of Cuba, was passed, it seemed as if the crowd wanted to board her and per- 
sonally grasp the hands of her officers and crew. 

But if they were demonstrative then, words almost fail to describe their 
enthusiasm as they passed that battle monster, the battleship Texas, the flag- 
ship of Commodore Philip's squadron. It was not an easy thing to recall, 
from her present condition, that the Texas, with " Jack " Philip in command, 



618 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



had taken a foremost part in one of the most marvellous marine battles in 
naval history. All the other war vessels were greeted with enthusiasm, and 
the booming of guns which saluted the Secretary of the Navy contributed 
much to render the occasion both inspiring and impressive. 

Much of the interest in the National Jubilee centered in Military Day. 
Mile after mile, hour after hour of marching men, popular heroes of the 
Spanish war, officers on horseback, privates on foot, gray-haired Grand Army 
veterans, the scarred battle flags of the Rebellion, music of bands, enormous 
numbers of cheering people massed in stands and on sidewalks, the senior 
general of the United States Army leading the seven-mile line, the President 
of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy 
reviewing it ; and, as a frame to the picture, the city gay with color shining 
in the clear sunshine of a perfect October day. 

Every popular favorite in the parade was liberally applauded. General 
Miles and General Wheeler, Hobson and his men, the Rough Riders' detach- 
ment, the gallant Tenth Cavalry, the colored troopers who came to the 
relief of Roosevelt's men when they were so hard pressed at El Caney; 
Captain Sigsbee, the marines and the Twenty-first Infantry were received 
with the wildest demonstrations of delight. 

Patriotic Celebration. 

President McKinley, who was the guest of the Clover Club, of Philadel- 
phia, said in his address : 

" It is most gratifying to me to participate with the people of Philadel- 
phia in this great patriotic celebration. It has been a pageant the like of 
which I do not believe has been seen since the close of the civil war, when 
the army of Grant and Sherman and the navy of Farragut and Porter met in 
that great celebration in Washington and were reviewed by President Lin- 
coln. And I know of no better place in which to have such a celebration 
than in this glorious - city, which witnessed the Declaration of Independence. 

"As I stood on the reviewing stand to-day my heart was filled only with 
gratitude to the God of battles, who has so favored us, and to the soldiers 
and sailors who have won such victories on land and sea and have given such 
a new meaning to American valor. No braver soldiers or sailors ever assem- 
bled under any flag. 

" You had to-day the heroes of Guantanamo, of Santiago, of Porto Rico. 
We had unfortunately none of the heroes of Manila, but our hearts go out 
to-night to the brave Dewey" — here the President was interrupted with 
tremendous cheers — " and to Merritt and to Otis and to all the brave men 
with them. 



PEACE JUBILEES. 



619 



" Gentlemen, the American people are ready. If the Merrimac is to be 
sunk — " here the President turned to the young naval constructor, while 
every one shouted " Hobson — " "yes, Hobson, is ready to do it and to suc- 
ceed in what his foes never have been able to do — sink an American ship. 

" I propose a toast to the army and navy, without whose sacrifices we 
could not now celebrate the victory, a toast not only to the men who were in 
the front, in the trenches, but the men who were willing and anxious to go, 
but who could not be sent." 

The President's speech put every one in excellent humor. He extended 
his hand to Hobson, who jumped to his feet, blushing, and shook it vigorously. 

In all parts of the country the return of the war's heroes very naturally 
produced a variety of entertainments and other forms of appreciation on the 
part of enthusiatic citizens. Private soldiers and sailors, as well as the officers 
who commanded them, were everywhere treated with marked distinction, 
where the gallantry of the men had resulted in wide-spread publicity, as, for 
instance, in the case of Hobson and the crew of the Merrimac. 

Admiral Schley Gets a Sword. 

In Philadelphia one of the most conspicuous testimonials was bestowed 
— being no less than the presentation to Admiral Schley of a magnificent 
sword in honor of his victory over Cervera's fleet at Santiago. The sword, 
including scabbard and belt, was mounted in 18-karat gold and was jewelled 
with opals and diamonds. It cost 33500, every cent of which was raised by 
popular subscription through the Philadelphia Times. The sword incident 
attracted great attention in Philadelphia, and on each of his visits to the city 
Admiral Schley was met and cheered by patriotic multitudes. 

Those participating in the presentation of the sword to Admiral Schley 
were distinctly representative men of the people of Pennsylvania. Governor 
Hastings delivered the address of welcome on behalf of the great Common- 
wealth, and Mayor Warwick delivered the address of welcome for the City of 
Brotherly Love. The magnificent tribute of the people to Admiral Schley 
was then presented to him by a Philadelphia school girl, Miss Rena MacNeal, 
a sister of one of " the men behind the guns " on Admiral Schley's flagship 
during the great battle on the 3d of July, and who exhibited special heroism 
at the critical period of the conflict, for which he was justly promoted. 

The response of the admiral on receiving the sword was delivered in 
tremulous tones which told how his patriotic heart swelled with gratitude for 
the appreciation of his services to the country. His speech was exquisite 
alike in sentiment and diction, and will be cherished in grateful memory by 
the people of Philadelphia. 



Our New Possessions. 



HE area of Cuba is about equal to that of Pennsylvania, the length 
being 760 miles, and the width varying from 35 to 130 miles. The 
productive soil, mineral wealth and climatic conditions of the island 
entitle it to rank among the foremost communities of the world. 
The soil is a marvel of richness, and fertilizers are seldom used, unless in the 
case of tobacco, even though the same crops be grown on the same land for 
a hundred years, as has happened in some of the old sugar-cane fields. The 
mountains are of coral formation, while the lowlands of Eastern Cuba at least 
seem to be composed largely of fossils of sea matter from prehistoric times, 
and are extremely rich in lime and phosphate, which accounts for the in- 
exhaustible fertility of the soil. 

Although founded and settled more than fifty years before the United 
States, Cuba has still 13,000,000 acres of primeval forests; mahogany, cedar, 
logwood, redwood, ebony, lignum-vitae and caiguaran (which is more durable 
in the ground than iron or steel) are among the woods. If all the land suit- 
able to the growth of sugar-cane were devoted to that industry, it is estimated 
that Cuba might supply the entire Western Hemisphere with sugar. The 
island has already produced in a single year for export 1,000,000 tons, and its 
capabilities have only been in the experimental stage. The adaptability of 
the soil for tobacco culture has long been known. Cuba takes great pride in 
the quality of her coffee, and until the war the plantations were flourishing. 
The land is not suited to the cultivation of cereals. 

The tobacco crop on an average, says the Consul General, is estimated at 
560,000 bales (one bale is no pounds), 338,000 bales being exported and the 
remainder used in cigar and cigarette manufacture in Havana. The cigars 
exported in 1896 numbered 185,914,000. Tobacco leaf exported in 1895, 
30,466,000 pounds; in 1896, 16,823,000 pounds; the decrease being due to a 
decree of May, 1896, forbidding tobacco leaf exports except to Spain. About 
80,000 of the inhabitants are ordinarily engaged in the cultivation of tobacco. 

The several principal cities of Cuba are thus described, and the informa- 
tion will be especially interesting and instructive at this time, when they are 
under the control of the land and naval forces of the United States : 
Habana (Havana), the capital city of the province of that name and of the 
620 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



621 



Island of Cuba, is situated on the west side of Havana Bay, on a peninsula of 
level land of limestone formation, and is on the narrowest part of the island. 
Its stragetic position at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, has aptly given 
it the name of the Key of the Gulf, and a symbolic key is emblazoned in its 
coat of arms. 

The entrance to the harbor, guarded on one side by the Morro and the 
frowning heights of La Cabana Fort, and on the other by the Punta and Reina 
batteries, is narrow, but expands into a wide and deep harbor, where a 
thousand ships can safely ride. Havana is a strongly-fortified place, sur- 
rounded by imposing fortifications, such as the Cabana, Morro Castle, Castillo 
del Principe, Fort Atares, Punta Reina Battery, and Fort No. 4. The streets 
are generally narrow in the older part of the city, but outside the walls are 
many wide avenues. 

The city also contains many notable buildings, as the Cathedral, formerly 
a Jesuit convent, now the depository of the ashes of the immortal discoverer 
of America ; the palace of the government, fine private residences, public 
parks, and statues of Columbus, Fernando VII., Isabel III., etc. There are 
many churches and convents ; a commemorative chapel fronts the palace, 
close to a large ceiba tree, under which Diego Velasquez, the founder of the 
city, celebrated mass in 15 19. There are numerous cigar and cigarette fac- 
tories, tanneries, manufactories of sweetmeats, rum, candles, gas, beer, car- 
riages, soap, perfumery, glycerine, etc. 

Climate and Population. 

The population of Havana, from reliable official estimate, is about 220,000. 
Its principal exports to the United States consist of tobacco, fruit, wax and 
honey, sugar and molasses, All kinds of breadstuffs, lumber, coal and ma- 
chinery are imported from the United States. The climate is generally warm 
and humid, and marked by two clearly defined seasons — the wet and dry, the 
former ranging from June to December; September and October being con- 
sidered the hurricane months. The trade winds blow generally with great 
regularity, and the heat of the day is cooled by evening breezes. 

Matanzas is beautifully situated on Matanzas Bay, on the north coast of 
Cuba, sixty miles east of Havana. It is divided into three parts by rivers, the 
principal business part occupying the central portion, and extending west one 
and one-half miles. The chief warehouses, distilleries, and sugar refineries 
are on the south of the river San Juan, easily accessible to railroads and 
lighters. The population is 49,384, and that of Matanzas province 271,000, 
according to the 1893 census. The principal industries are rum distilling, 
sugar refining, and manufacture of guava jelly. There are railroad car and 



622 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



machine shops. The climate is fine, and Matanzas is considered the healthiest 
city on the island. With proper drainage and sanitary arrangements, yellow 
fever and malaria would be almost unknown. 

Santiago de Cuba, the second city in size on the island, is probably the 
oldest city of any size on this hemisphere, having been founded by Velas- 
quez in 15 14. It fronts on a beautiful bay six miles long and two miles wide, 
on the south-eastern coast of Cuba, 100 miles west of Cape Maysi. The 
population in 1895 was 59,614. The mean temperature in summer is 88 de- 
grees ; in winter, 82 degrees. It is regarded as very unhealthy, yellow fever 
being prevalent throughout the year and small pox epidemic at certain times. 
These conditions are due to the lack of sanitary and hygienic measures ; all 
refuse matter as well as dead dogs, cats, chickens, etc., being thrown into the 
streets to decay and fill the air with disease germs. A railroad called the 
Sabanilla and Maroted, runs from the city to San Luis, twenty-five miles 
distant, with a branch to Alto Songo, twelve in length. It is largely owned 
and controlled by citizens of the United States. 

Santiago is the headquarters for three large mining plants owned by 
United States citizens, viz., the Jurugua, the Spanish American, and the 
Sigua, together representing the investment of about $8,000,000 ; the last 
named are not in operation. Santiago is the capital of this province and oriental 
region. There are a number of tobacco factories, but the chief business is the 
exportation of raw materials - and the importation of manufactured goods and 
provisions. Sugar, iron ore, manganese, mahogany, hides, wax, cedar and to- 
bacco are exported to the United States. 

City and Harbor of Cienfuegos. 

Cienfuegos is on a peninsula in the Bay of Iagua, six miles from the sea. 
The depth of water at the anchorage in the harbor is 27 feet, and at the dif- 
ferent wharves from 14 to 16 feet. The commercial importance of the place 
was recognized as Jong ago as 1850, and has increased with the develop- 
ment of the sugar industry. This port is now the centre of the sugar trade 
for the south of the island. It is connected by rail with Havana and the 
principal points on the north of the island. The population in 1895 was 
24,050. Sugar and tobacco are exported to the United States, and soap and 
ice are manufactured. 

The climate from December 1st until May 1st is dry and moderately 
warm, the temperature ranging from 60 degrees to 78 degrees during the 
day and falling several degrees at night. At this season almost constant 
winds prevail from the north-east or north-west, accompanied by clouds of 
dust. For the rest of the year the temperature ranges from 75 degrees to 93 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



623 



degrees, descending a few degrees at night. During this season there are 
frequent and heavy rainfalls and windstorms. The yellow fever is then epi- 
demic. But little attention is given by the municipal authorities to hygienic 
or to sanitary measures. Water for household purposes is sufficiently sup- 
plied by two small plants, the principal source being the Jicotea river, 10 
miles distant. The death rate is 42.82 per 1000. 

Cardenas is a seaport on the north coast of Cuba, about 135 miles east 
of Havana. In 1893 it had 23,517 inhabitants. The temperature is pleasant 
during the winter, but from about the middle of May to the middle of Octo- 
ber the weather is hot and sultry, the thermometer during the day being 
usually 94 degrees in the shade and falling some five degrees at night. Sani- 
tary conditions are bad. Yellow fever, typhus, typhoid and pernicious fevers 
prevail throughout most of the year, being worse in the hot season. Cases 
of small pox also appear at times. 

Trinidad de Cuba is located on the slope of the mountain called La Vijia 
(Lookout), which has an elevation of about 900 feet above sea level. The 
port, Casilda, lies about one league to the south ; the harbor is almost land- 
locked, and has very little depth. Vessels drawing 10 feet 6 inches are liable 
to run aground with the least deviation from the tortuous channel. About 
half a mile west of Trinidad is the river Guarabo, navigable for small boats 
only. Four miles east lies Masio Bay, which will accommodate deep-draft 
vessels. The population numbers about 18,000. Sugar and a little honey 
are exported. The climate is very healthy, the death rate being 21 to 26 per 
1000, though sanitary measures are almost unknown. The town is so situ- 
ated that the heavier it rains the cleaner it becomes. The town and vicinity 
are considered the healthiest in Cuba. 

Statistics of the Island of Cuba. 

Area (square miles) .... 43,220. 

Length (miles) 760. 

Width (miles) 35 to 130. 

Topography Traversed lengthwise by mountain-range ; coast belt low, level 

and swampy. 

Character of soil Extremely fertile ; large forest area. 

Climate Hotter on coast than interior. Occasional ice, but snow 

unknown. 

Mean temperature 77 degrees. 

Rainy season June to November. 

Products Tobacco, sugar, cotton, coffee, rice, maize, fruits. 

Minerals Wealth of granite, gneiss, limestone, copper, coal, silver, iron 

— all practically undeveloped. 

Industries Agriculture, grazing, timber-cutting. 

Exports Value, 180,000,000 (to U. S.) in 1893 



624 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



Imports . Approximately $23,000,000 in 1S92. 

Shipping ........... 2,850 vessels cleared principal ports in 1S92 (approximately). 

Telegraph (miles) About 3,000. 

Railroads (miles) About 1,000. 

Seaports . See "Cities." 

Revenue to Spain ('93 -, 94) Over $20,000,000 (in taxes). 

Expenditure by Spain . . . War expenses, $120,000,000 annually. 
Population 1,632,000. 

Prevailing races One-third negroes ; balance white, Spaniards and native Cubans 

predominate. 

Prevailing language Spanish. 

Prevailing religion ..... Roman Catholic. 

Education Indifferent, 76.3 percent, of people illiterate. 

Capital, population ..... Havana, 220,000. 
Largest city, population . . . Havana. 

Other cities, population . . . Matanzas, 49,384 ; Santiago de Cuba, 59,614 ; Cienfuegos, 

24,030; Puerto Principe, 47,000; Santo Espiritu, 33,000; 
Cardenas, 23,517. 

Last Spanish Governor . . . General Ramon Blanco. 

Possession of Spain since . . 1492 —Colonized 1511. 

Rivers 760 — 1 navigable (the Cauto). 

Mountains Pico de Turguino, 7670 feet high. 

Animals Many reptiles, few wild beasts. 

Phenomena High winds, heavy rains. 

Distance from Washington . Three days. 

The Island of Porto Rico. 

The island of Porto Rico has an extent of about 3668 square miles, being 
37 miles broad and 108 miles long. The population is placed at 813,937; 
one-half are white and the balance negroes and Creoles. San Juan is situated 
on a long and narrow island, separated from the main island at one end by a 
shallow arm of the sea, over which is a bridge connecting it with the main- 
land, which runs out at this point in a long sand spit, some nine miles in 
length, apparently to meet the smaller island; at the other end the island 
ends in a rugged bluff or promontory some hundred feet high and three- 
fourths of a mile distant from the main island. This promontory is crowned 
by Morro Castle, the principal fortification of the town. At this end of the 
island is the entrance to the harbor, with a narrow channel and rocky bottom, 
so close under the headland that one can almost leap ashore from a passing 
vessel. The water here is some thirty feet deep. 

To a mariner unacquainted with the locality, or when a norther is blow- 
ing, this entrance is one of difficulty and danger. After rounding the bluff, one 
finds a broad and beautiful bay, landlocked, and with a good depth of water 
which is being increased by dredging. It is by far the best harbor in Porto 
Rico, and probably as good a one as can be found in the West Indies, How- 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



G25 



ever, it has its drawbacks. Sailing vessels are frequently detained by the 
northerly winds during the winter months, and even steamers with a draft of 
over twenty feet are sometimes delayed ; but these occasions are rare. When 
they do occur, the " boca," or entrance to the harbor, is a mass of seething, 
foaming water, and presents an imposing spectacle. 

To see steamers of 16 or 18 feet draft enter in a severe norther is a sight 
to be remembered, as the great waves lift them up and seem about to hurl them 
forward to destruction. At such times there is need of a staunch vessel, 
steady nerves, and a captain well acquainted with the channel, as no pilot 
will venture out. 

Good Specimen of a Walled Town. 

The island upon which the city stands is shaped much like an arm and 
hand; it is about two and a half miles long and averages less than one-fourth 
of a mile in width. The greatest width is a little over half a mile in the 
portion representing the hand, which also contains the major part of the city. 
San Juan is a perfect specimen of a walled town, with portcullis, moat, gates, 
and battlements. Built over two hundred and fifty years ago, it is still in 
good condition and repair. The walls are picturesque and represent a 
stupendous work and cost in themselves. Inside the walls, the city is laid off 
in regular squares, six parallel streets running in the direction of the length of 
the island and seven at right angles. The houses are closely and compactly 
built of brick, usually of two stories, stuccoed on the outside and painted in 
a variety of colors. The upper floors are occupied by the more respectable 
people, while the ground floors, almost without exception, are given up to 
negroes and the poorer classes. 

The population within the walls is estimated at 20,000, and most of it lives 
on the ground floor. In one small room, with a flimsy partition, a whole 
family will reside. The ground floor of the whole town reeks with filth and 
conditions are most unsanitary. In a tropical country, where disease readily 
prevails, the consequences of such herding may be easily inferred. There is 
no running water in the town. The entire population depends upon rain 
water, caught upon the flat roofs of the buildings and conducted to the cistern, 
which occupies the greater part of the inner court yard that is an essential 
part of Spanish houses the world over, but that here, on account of the 
crowded conditions, is very small. 

There is no sewerage, except for surface water and sinks, while vaults 
are in every house and occupy whatever remaining space there may be in 
the parts not taken up by the cisterns. The risk of contaminating the water 
is very great, and in dry seasons the supply is entirely exhausted. Epidemics 
40 



626 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



are frequent, and the town is alive with vermin, fleas, cockroaches, mosquitoes 
and dogs. The streets are wider than in the older part of Havana, and will 
admit two carriages abreast. The sidewalks are narrow, and in places will 
accommodate but one person. The pavements are of a composition manu- 
factured in England from slag, pleasant and even, and durable when no heavy 
strain is brought to bear upon them, but easily broken and unfit for heavy 
traffic. The streets are swept once a day by hand, and, strange to say, are 
kept very clean. 

From its topographical situation the town should be healthy, but it is not. 
The soil under the city is clay, mixed with lime, so hard as to be almost like 
rock. It is, consequently, impervious to water and furnishes a good natural 
drainage. The trade wind blows strong and fresh, and through the harbor 
runs a stream of sea water at a speed of not less than three miles an hour. 
With these conditions no contagious diseases, if properly taken care of, could 
exist ; without them the place would be a veritable plague spot. 

A study of the orographic features of the island shows that its mountain 
systems are developed most extensively in its south-central region and in its 
northeastern division. Taking it as a whole the island is approximately roof 
shaped, so that the rainfall is rapidly drained off. For drainage purposes 
there are forty -five considerable rivers and countless rivulets, seventeen of the 
rivers running to the north, sixteen to the south and nine to the east coast. 
And it is very noticeable that there is no extensive lake nestling in the high- 
lands of the interior. 

The Sickliest Season. 

Though there are no extended climatic observations covering the whole 
Porto Rican territory, the Spanish series of international observations at San 
Juan, published by the Weather Bureau, show the general conditions pre- 
vailing in that city and its vicinity. The most marked feature of the climate 
is that the summer's heat and rainfall keep up until late autumn. This con- 
stancy of tropical Jieat has a very relaxing effect upon the the body, and is, 
therefore, injurious to the health of strangers, though the heat is mitigated 
by trade winds and stiff land and sea breezes. But in August and even later 
on the north coast the air is often intensely sultry, oppressive and almost 
calm, with little or no relief, so that Colonel Hinter pronounced this the sick- 
liest time for foreigners. For this reason he advised residents of temperate 
climates not to visit Porto Rico until November, when the weather becomes 
exquisitely fine and settled, continuing generally good during the winter and 
early spring. 

In this beautiful island, under new auspices, doubtless there will spring 
up eventually a number of inviting winter resorts and sanitaria. For in the 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



627 



winter and early spring Porto Rico is less subject than even Cuba to chilling 
winds, blowing out from freezing anti-cyclones that move east off the Amer- 
ican coast toward Bermuda. 

Heat, Rainfall, Winds and Hurricanes. 

At San Juan the average temperature in August is very nearly 8 1 degrees 
Fahrenheit; in September 80.5 degrees, and in October 79.3 degrees. 

The rainfall in the capital — which is a fair index of that along the north- | 
east coast of the island generally — averages about 6.65 inches during August, 
5.30 during September, and 7.10 during October. But in some years Septem- 
ber brings the heaviest rains. It is obvious that with such heavy rainfall the 
narrow roads leading from the east coast to San Juan and those skirting the 
north coast are liable in these months to be at times badly washed by the 
heavy showers. The southern side of the island is relatively much drier than 
the northern, though the former is liable to excessive rains during the passage 
of a hurricane. 

The prevailing winds at San Juan from August 1st to October 31st, as 
deduced from the fragmentary data, are southeasterly and easterly, contrary 
to the general idea, a rather light sprinkling of northeasterly winds, while 
southerly winds figure considerably. The calm days in the hottest months 
average not far from ten per month, and in some months exceed eighteen, and 
even twenty. 

Fortunately for Porto Rico, it does not lie directly in the track of West 
Indian cyclones. At long intervals it has been visited by a desolating hurricane. 
The usual track of hurricanes runs in a northwestwardly course, a little north 
of the island in August and a little south of it in September and October. 
So erratic, however, are these tremendous whirlwinds of the tropics, so liable 
to be deflected from their wonted paths, that it will be unsafe to assume, at 
least until late in autumn, that the danger has passed for Porto Rico. And 
commanders of all vessels on or near the coasts of the island should exercise 
extreme vigilance to avoid being caught in a hurricane. 

It cannot be said that the anchorages are the best in the world, but a few 
of them are excellent and most of them sufficiently deep for ordinary craft. 
Mayaguez Bay, on the west coast, admitting vessels of any size, is the best 
anchorage in the island. Guanica is the best on the south coast. The east 
coast is fairly indented and washed by a sea usually smooth. On the 
rugged north side there are no good anchorages between Arecibo and San 
Juan, and the ocean current sets to southwestward. But the port of San 
Juan, affording good shelter, will be an important centre of merchant ship- 
ping, as well as an attractive rendezvous for yachts, whose owners are seek- 



628 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



ing health and pleasure in a winter cruise to the sunny seas of the 

tropics. 

Things go on in San Juan much as they have been going for a hundred 
years. Hundreds of officers, soldiers and policemen block the sidewalks 
and appear in the shops and cafes. San Juan has more policemen than any 
city of the same size on earth. They are not needed. A more quiet and 
law-abiding population could scarcely be found. Street fights and brawls, so 
common in American towns, are comparatively unknown. Days pass with- 
out a single arrest, and those which do occur are almost invariably for petty 
thievery. Yet one cannot move without bumping against a policeman armed 
with a revolver and a heavy short sword. 

San Juan wakes early. By seven o'clock the shops are open, and a stir- 
ring of wide shutters in the upper stories of the houses shows that even the 
women are about. Hundreds of men are having their coffee in the cafes. 
Probably a band is playing somewhere, which means a detachment of troops 
returning from early mass in the Cathedral. By ten o'clock this early activity 
has worn itself out. The sun has got well up into the sky, white and hot. 
It falls in the narrow, unshaded streets, and the cobblestones begin to scorch 
through thin shoe soles. It is a time to seek the shade and quaff cooling 
drinks. Business languishes. About eleven shop shutters begin to go up, 
and soon the streets are as deserted as at midnight. 

Shops Closed at Midday. 

This is breakfast hour, and until well after noon not a shop or public 
building will be found open. About two or three, whether the siesta is long 
or short, people begin to reappear and shops reopen. Gradually traffic 
revives. By four o'clock, when the Palais de Justice has cast its cooling 
shadow over half the blazing Plaza, loungers begin to appear to occupy the 
numerous benches and blink idly at the guards about the gloomy Palais 
entrance. With j^ach passing hour the city presents a livelier appearance, 
until at six o'clock it is fully awake and ready for dinner, the principal meal 
of the day. 

In the evening is when the inhabitants of San Juan really live. These 
are the pleasant hours of the day. From the sea comes a breeze, cool and 
fresh, to whisper to the few shade trees in the plazas and revive enervated 
humanity. Twice a week one of the military bands plays in the principal 
plaza. Then it is worth while to go, hire a comfortable arm chair from a 
" muchacho " for ten cents in Porto Rican silver and sit and observe and 
listen. 

These military bands — several are always stationed in San Juan — are 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



629 



equal to Sousa or Herbert on a considerably smaller scale. They play beau- 
tifully voluptuous airs of sunny Spain, the strains swelling and quickening 
until they entice an answer in the livened step and unconsciously swaying 
bodies of hundreds of promenaders; then slowly dying to a sweet, soft breath, 
borne to the ear from distant guitars and mandolins. Italian, French and 
German composers are not neglected, while occasionally there will come a 
spirited bit from some modern light opera, or even a snatch from a topical 
song of the day. 

On band nights San Juan may be seen at her best. The concerts begin 
at eight o'clock. Prior to that hour the private soldiers are permitted the 
liberty of the Plaza, and hundreds avail themselves of the opportunity for an 
airing. At eight they must retire to their barracks, leaving the Plaza to the 
officers. The music racks are set at one end of the Plaza, and the musicians 
stand during the two hours of the concert. By the time the second number 
on the programme is reached the Plaza is thronged with the wealth, beauty 
and fashion of the Porto Rican capital. A row of gas street lamps, thickly 
set, encircles the Plaza, while at each end rise iron towers, upon which are 
supported electric arc lights. All the houses surrounding the Plaza are illu- 
minated, their bright coloring and Eastern architecture giving an Oriental 
effect. The balconies — every house has a balcony — are filled with gayly 
dressed women and officers, and through open windows glimpses of richly 
furnished interiors can be obtained. On the street level, the Grand Central 
and other cafes, the Spanish Club and a dozen brilliantly lighted drug stores 
and shops help flood the Plaza with light and lend life and gayety to the scene. 

Many Women in the Throng. 

And the women. They are out in force, dressed in the latest fashions of 
Madrid and Paris. Here and there some gentleman walks with his wife and 
family, but usually the women promenade alone until joined by male acquaint- 
ances. A group of girls will be accompanied by a duenna, who keeps dis- 
creetly in the background if any men approach. Often, however, two or more 
senoritas will promenade entirely alone, with a freedom which would be con- 
sidered unbecoming in the United States. 

This is one of the occasions when rigorous Spanish etiquette is somewhat 
relaxed and the unmarried women enjoy a fleeting glimpse of sooial freedom. 
So the crowd, constantly swelling, until progress is almost impossible, moves 
in a circle back and forth along the length of the plaza. Mingling with it are 
scores of police, in their bright uniforms, who seem to have no business there 
except to accentuate the crush, and hundreds of civilians in their best dress. 
Nowadays there is a sprinkling of American navy and army officers, in quiet 



630 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



uniforms, and a good deal of attention they attract. And so it goes, until the 
concert ends. The band, preceded by an escort of cavalry, marches away to 
a wonderfully quick quickstep, the lights fade and slowly the crowd disperses 
through the shadowy streets. 

Not all San Juan, however, is to be seen in the grand plaza. Only fash- 
ionable and official life centralizes there. In other sections of the city the 
evenings pass differently. Take a stroll from the brilliantly lighted plaza into 
the eastern part of town, near the barracks. There the whole lower strata 
will be found in the narrow, badly lighted streets, or in the Plaza Cristobal 
Colon and the smaller breathing places of the densely populated city. Here 
hand organs and dirty wandering minstrels, who perform semi-barbaric music 
upon cracked guitars and raspy mandolins, accompanied by the "guero" — a 
native instrument made of a gourd — furnish the music. 

Venders of a dulce " squat beside their trays of sweetmeat, dolorously cry- 
ing their wares. Non-commissioned officers and privates mingle with the 
people and chat with the women. Everybody smokes cigarettes, even children 
hardly able to toddle. The shops and meaner cafes are open and crowded. 
Further on one can wander through streets more narrow and darker than 
alleys to where the massive gray battlements of the ancient city walls lift 
their sombre, jagged towers to greet the moon. 

Inquisitive sentinels, with rifles in hand, walk here to turn intruders 
back, but by exercising discretion glimpses may be obtained of tiny balconies 
ensconced in nooks and crannies high up in the wall and overlooking the sea 
and the twinkling city. Perhaps a peep may be had into the odd habitations 
within, with dusky senoritas gazing out through a curtain of flowers and vines. 
This is a different San Juan from that which promenades in the plaza, but not 
less interesting. 

Statistics of the Island of Porto Rico. 

Area (square miles)^. . . .3,668. 



Length (miles) 108. 

« Width (miles) 37. 

Topography Mountains in center ; narrow level, level belt on coast. 

Character of soil Extremely fertile. 

Climate Hot, but not unhealthy. Northern low lands, superabundance 

of moisture ; south suffers from drought. 

Mean temperature 74 degrees. 

Rainy season June to December. 

Products Sugar, molasses, coffee, tobacco, cotton, rice, yams, plan- 
tains. 

Minerals Gold, copper, coal, salt — not developed. 

Industries Grazing, agriculture. 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES 



631 



Exports Sugar, coffee, molasses, tobacco, ('96) $16,500,000. To Spain 

alone C96) $6,000,000. 
Imports From Spain ('95), $9,000,000. 

Shipping ('95) 1,077 vessels and 1,000,000 tons entered ports. 

Telegraph (miles) 470. 

Railroads (miles) 137 ; 170 projected. 

Seaports San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, Maguabo. 

Revenue to Spain ('94-95) 5454.958 pesos i $5,046, 106). 

Expenditure by Spain .... ('94-'95), 3,905,667 pesos ($3,612,742). 
Population ... • 813,937. 

Prevailing races One-half white, the balance negroes and Creoles. 

Prevailing language Spanish. 

Prevailing religion Roman Catholic. 

Education Little cared for. 

Capital, population San Juan, 25,000. 

Largest city, population . . . Ponce, 35,000. 

Other cities, population . . . Mayaguez, 27,000 ; Maguabo, 15,000. 

Possession of Spain since . , 1510. 

Mountains El Yunke, 3,688 ft. high. 

Animals Wild beasts unknown, infested with rats, centipedes, mosqui- 
toes. 

Phenomena High winds and heavy rains. 

Wants Good roads and bridges. 

Distance from Washington . Five days. 

The Philippine Islands. 

The war between Spain and the United States directed public attention 
to the Philippine Islands, and the victory of the United States naval squadron 
and land forces at Manila has emphasized the great resources of these islands. 
Under the circumstances, a general review of some of the industries of the 
islands will be interesting. 

In 1834, the port of Manila, the capital of the islands, was opened to 
resident foreign merchants, but before that date the Philippine Islands were 
little known in the foreign markets and commercial centres of Europe. So 
decided was the spirit of exclusiveness and abhorrence of foreign intercourse 
that the Spaniards, in 1738, preferred a war with England to the fulfillment of 
a contract, for freer commerce, entered into under the treaty of Utrecht. 
Before 1834, a Mr. Butler applied for permission to reside in and open up a 
trade between Manila and foreign ports, but the application was promptly 
rejected, though subsequently the American firm of Russell & Sturgis, hav- 
ing the support of the Governor-General, made a similar application, which 
was successful, and since then many foreigners have settled in the open ports 
of the Philippine Islands for business purposes. Banks have been established 
and other agencies necessary to facilitate and promote trade are now a part of 
the business machinery of the islands. 



632 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES, 



During the reign of Isabella II. (1833- 1868) a Philippine coin was issued, 
and about the year 1868 gold coin sold for less than the nominal value in 
silver, and as much as 10 per cent, was paid to exchange an onza of gold ($16) 
for silver. In 1878 gold and silver were worth their nominal relative value, 
and gold gradually disappeared from the islands, large quantities being 
exported to China. At the beginning of 1885 as much as 10 per cent, pre- 
mium was paid for Philippine gold of the Isabella II. or any previous coinage, 
but at the present day gold is obtainable in limited quantities and about the 
same rate as sight drafts on Europe. 

Manufacturing in the Philippines. 

The monetary crisis, attributed by some to the depreciation of silver, 
was experienced in the islands, and the Spanish Government added to the 
embarrassment by coining half dollars and twenty-cent pieces without the 
intrinsic value expressed. It was in consequence of such a false value that 
exchange fell lower, and in Spain the silver then coined was rejected by the 
Government officers and merchants, which still further impaired the interests 
of the islanders. The action of the Spanish Government was a retrograde 
movement. The coinage of a nation denoting its political condition, the 
deterioration of it indicates an age of decrepitude. 

The manufacturing industry of the islands is in its infancy, and the 
industrial arts have not been fostered. It may be said that cigars are about 
the only manufactured export staple, though occasionally some cordage, hides 
and a parcel of straw or finely split bamboo hats are shipped. In some of 
the provinces hats and straw mats are made, in others a rough cloth is woven 
from hemp fibre. 

These last are principally woven in the province of Yloilo, where also is 
made a muslin of pure pine leaf fibre, and a fabric of mixed pine-leaf and 
hemp filament. The province of Hocos has a reputation for its woolen and 
dyed cotton fabrics,_and that of Batangas produces a special make of cotton 
stuffs. Pasig, on the river of that name, and Sulipan in Pampanga are locally 
known for their rough pottery. The centre of the white wood furniture and 
wood carving is Palte, the extreme east of Sagina de Bay. In Mariquina, 
near Manila, wooden clogs and native leather shoes are made, and the gold 
and silver workers are at Santa Cruz, a ward of Manila. In the more civil- 
ized provinces the native women produce pretty specimens of embroidery on 
European patterns, and, on a small scale there are centres of manufacture of 
straw bags, alcohol, bamboo furniture, buffalo hide, leather, wax candles, 
and soap. 

The first brewery was opened October 4, 1890, in Manila, by Don Enrique 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



633 



Barretto. The manufactures indicated are supported by native capital, and 
the traffic and consumption being mostly local, the addition to the wealth of 
the islands is not large. Outside of the open ports there is little scope for 
the natives to profitably pursue the industrial arts, and whatever capacity 
they possess appears to be lost in the want of an opportunity under com- 
petent guidance. 

There is one railroad running from Manila to Dagupin, about 220 miles, 
built by a British company, called the Manila Railway Company, Limited ; 
between Manila and Dagupin there are four railway stations. We have no 
statistics as to the earnings of the road, but the civilizing influence it exerts 
is quite evident, and shows that when the islands are properly governed, and 
modern industrial appliances are utilized, the personnel of the natives as well 
as the resources are capable of great improvement and development. 

Agriculture Past and Present. 

Agriculture has never flourished in the islands. Before competition in 
other colonies became so active there were fair remunerative returns from the 
cultivation of hemp and sugar,— the main staple products ; labor was then 
cheaper, as were the beasts for tilling the soil ; the necessities of the laboring 
classes were fewer, and though the aggregate production was not so large, the 
natives were in a sounder position than the same class are generally now. It 
would seem that in passing from the primitive to a more civilized state one 
may look back with fond regret to the simple wants of the former as com- 
pared with those of the latter. 

One of the causes of agricultural failure in the islands is the same which 
results in failure elsewhere. Some embark in agriculture with insufficient 
capital and end by becoming the slaves of the money lender, having them- 
selves to blame for want of foresight, but invariably blaming the one who 
loaned them money which they needed, and cursing the lender for the high 
rate of interest which they agreed to pay. 

Thus it is in the Philippine Islands as in other parts of the world, prov- 
ing that every departure from sound economic laws entails losses if not 
financial ruin. It is not so certain that the natives of the Philippines are 
readier to begin work on insufficient capital and pay high rates of interest 
than the natives of more civilized lands, but a marked characteristic of the 
islanders is their indifference to adequate provision for crop failures. It is 
estimated that if all the Philippine planters had to liquidate within twelve 
months as many as 50 per cent, would be insolvent. 

The value of agricultural land is, of course, in proportion to its produc- 
tive capacity and its nearness to the open port. In the province of Manila, 



634 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



land is usually higher priced, Manila being the capital and the largest, com- 
mercially, of the open ports. In the province of Bulacan, which adjoins that 
of Manila, an acre that produces 20 tons of cane would probably sell for $1 15, 
while in a province more remote from Manila, the average value of land, 
yielding 20 tons per acre, would not sell for more than $75 per acre. The 
finest sugar-cane producing island is the island of Negos, in the Visaya dis- 
trict, between 9 and n° N. latitude. The area of the island is about equal 
to that of Porto Rico, but it has never been made to yield its full capacity. 

How Sugar-Cane is Cultivated. 

The sugar estates are small, and from those inland the sugar is trans- 
ported to the open ports in buffalo carts. The system of planting is different 
from that prevailing in the West Indies. In the latter the planters set the 
canes out widely, leaving plenty of space for the development of the roots, and 
the ratoons serve from five to twenty years, while in the Philippines the setting 
of cane points is renewed each year, with few exceptions, and the planting is 
comparatively close. The system of labor in the northern and southern 
parts of the islands is different. The plantations in the north are worked on 
the co-operative principle. The estate is divided by the owner into tenements, 
each tenant being provided with a buffalo and agricultural implements to work 
and attend to the crop of cane as if it were his own property, and when cut 
and the sugar is worked off,, the tenant receives one-third, and sometimes as 
much as one-half of the output. 

The cane crushing and sugar making are at the expense of the tenant, 
but the landowner furnishes the machinery and factory establishment and 
takes the risk of typhoons, inundations, droughts, locusts, etc. If the tenant 
has no means the landlord generally makes the necessary advances against 
the estimated value of the tenant's share. In the southern part of the islands 
the plantations are worked on the daily wages system. The sugar produced 
is of different grades and the price is according to grade. 

The staple food of the islanders is rice, which is cultivated more or less 
largely in every province, and is the only branch of agriculture in which the 
lower classes of natives take a visible pleasure and which they understand ; 
but much of the land formerly devoted to rice cultivation is now devoted to 
cultivating sugar-cane, which yields a more valuable return. 

Hemp is another staple industry. The hemp plant grows in many parts 
of the islands, and the leaves so closely resemble those of the banana that it 
is difficult to distinguish between them, those of the hemp plant being of a 
darker hue and greener. The plant appears to thrive best on an inclined 
plane, and though requiring a considerable amount of moisture, it will not 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



635 



thrive in swampy iand, and must be shaded by other trees to attain any great 
height. The average height of the tree is about ten feet, and being endoge- 
nous, the stem is enclosed in layers of half-round petioles. 

Preparing Hemp for Shipment. 

The hemp fibre is extracted from these petioles which, when cut down, 
are separated into strips, five or six inches wide, and drawn under a knife 
attached at one end by a hinge to a block of wood, whilst the other end is 
suspended to the extremity of a flexible stick. The bow tends to raise the 
knife, and a cord, attached to the same end of the knife and a treadle, is so 
arranged that by a movement of the foot, the operator can bring the knife to 
work on the hemp petiole with the pressure he chooses. The last is drawn 
through between the knife and the block, the operator twisting the fibre, at 
each pull, around a stick of wood, while the parenchymatous pulp remains on 
the other side of the knife. The knife should be without teeth or indentations, 
but it often has a slightly serrated edge. The fibre is then spread out to dry 
and afterwards tightly packed in bales with iron and rattan hoops for ship- 
ment. 

Machinery has not been used with satisfactory results, and this is 
because the mechanical apparatus should be so arranged as to reduce the 
tension of the fibre in a strip of bast by means of a cylinder, though experi- 
ments have been and are being made, and some are more or less satisfactory. 
The plant is grown from seed or suckers ; if seed, it requires about four years 
to arrive at cutting maturity, and if from suckers, not more than three are 
required. The stem should be cut for fibre drawing at the flowering maturity, 
and in no case should it be allowed to bear fruit, as the fibre is thereby weak- 
ened. As the fibre known as Manila hemp is a specialty of the islands, com- 
petition and overproduction to the extent of annihilating profits are remote. 

The cultivation of coffee dates from the early part of the present century, 
and some of the original trees are still alive and bearing fruit, but after 
twenty-five years the tree does not bear profitably. The best coffee comes 
from Sugon Island, embracing the provinces of Batangas, La Laguna and 
Cavite. There is one crop gathered in the Philippine Islands ; in the West 
Indies the beans are found during eight months of the twelve, and in Brazil 
there are three gatherings annually. 

The tobacco seed was introduced into the Philippines from Mexico by 
Spanish missionaries soon after the possession of the islands by Spain, and, 
from the islands, into the south of China, in the sixteenth or seventeenth cen- 
tury. The Spanish Government for a long time enjoyed a monopoly of the 
tobacco trade, but the monopoly ceased in 1882. and the cultivation and trade 



636 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



were handed over to a private enterprise. The Manila cigar has a world 
wide reputation, and under improved cultivation the quality can be improved. 

In addition to the industrial products named, the soil and climate of the 
islands are favorable to the cultivation of Indian corn, cotton, chocolate, and 
the bamboo, and all kinds of tropical fruit. It may be said that the Philip- 
pine Islands, under the rule of a just government and an intelligent system 
of cultivation, would become rich in mineral and agricultural products, and a 
valuable possession, strategically and otherwise. 

Admiral Dewey's Achievement. 

If the word failure was in Admiral Dewey's lexicon, it is only necessary 
to consider the position his naval squadron would have been in had the 
Manila engagement been indecisive, to conclusively show how important it is 
for the United States to own a base of operations in Asiatic seas and lands. 
There was not a port in the whole of Asia where Admiral Dewey could have 
gone to refit his squadron had he met with a reverse. He was excluded by 
neutrality proclamations from every port, save that of his own brave and loyal 
heart, which is better than all, but no naval commander was ever so com- 
pletely isolated from his country as was Admiral Dewey when war was 
declared between Spain and the United States ; and such a condition of affairs 
should never be allowed to exist again. 

The policy of isolation, which has long been the policy of the United 
States, to every proper extent ought to be abandoned for a policy that will 
safeguard American interests everywhere against all contingencies, for the 
most liberal and enlightened nation in the world cannot escape the responsi- 
bilities that attend liberality and enlightenment, and has no right to hide its 
light under a bushel. The rule of Spain in the Philippines is as oppressive as 
Spanish rule has been in Cuba, and both of these provinces should be freed 
from a despotism which has crushed the spirit and energy of the inhabitants. 

The sun, in his course, does not shine upon any lands of greater fertility 
than Cuba and the Philippine Islands, and upon none more capable of pro- 
portionately contributing to the necessities and comforts of mankind ; but 
under the government of Spain no progress has been made, and honest 
industry is denied the right of just returns. With Hawaii as a part of the 
United States, Cuba and the Philippines liberated from serfdom, and the Nica- 
ragua canal cut, the position of the United States would be commanding in 
both of the great oceans of the world, and enabled to foster commercial 
enterprises which, in all ages, have been promotive of free institutions. Other 
nations should not be allowed to monopolize commercial advantages which 
nature has placed nearest within our reach. 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



637 



The following synopsis of the report of Oscar F. Williams, the American 
Consul at Manila, on the trade relations of the United States and the Philip- 
pine Islands, will be interesting in this connection, He says that twenty-two 
consulates, representing the leading commercial countries of the world, are 
established at Manila. He adds this surprising statement : " The volume of 
the export trade coming under my official supervision equals that of my 
twenty-one consular colleagues combined." 

He then shows in detail how the trade of the Philippines with the United 
States exceeds that of all other countries combined, and is growing at a rapid 
rate. As indicating the extent of this trade, he says : " To-day I have authen- 
ticated invoices for exports to the United States amounting to $188,606." He 
says the exports to this country average $1,000,000 a month. The report 
states that 216,000 bales of hemp were exported during the preceding three 
months. Of these, 138,782 went to the United States and 77,218 to Great 
Britain and other countries. Mr. Williams shows from this that the United 
States had 64 per cent, of the trade from the Philippines as against 36 per 
cent, of Great Britain and other countries. He says that in 1897 the 
increase of shipments to the United States was 133,000 bales and the decrease 
of Great Britain 22,000 bales. 

He adds: " Of the increase of shipments from the Philippines, those to the 
•United States were 54 per cent, greater than to all other countries combined." 

He also gives details of the large shipments of sugar, tobacco, hides, 
shells, indigo and coffee. In the item of sugar, which is second in import- 
ance, the shipments to the United States were 55 per cent, of the total to all 
points. Under a proper government the vast resources of the Philippines 
could be developed, and these tropical islands would become of great value 
and importance from a commercial point of view. What is needed is a stable 
and liberal government, a good system of education, and abundant capital for 
supporting industries. 

Statistics of the Philippine Islands. 



Area (square miles) 114,326. 

Topography 1,200 islands (Luzon largest). 

Character of soil Volcanic origin. Veryfertile; vegetable growth often gigantic. 

Climate November to March, fresh and cool ; from April to July, stifling 

heat. 

Rainy season July to October. 

Mean temperature 72 degrees. 

Products Hemp, sugar, coffee, copra, tobacco, indigo, teak, ebony, 

cedar, fruits, spices. 

Minerals Gold, coal, iron, copper, sulphur, vermillion. 

Industries Agriculture, mining, grazing. 



638 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



Exports ('9 6 ) $22,000,000. 

Imports ('96) $12,000,000. 

Shipping ('95 J 3°4 vessels cleared principal ports. 

Telegraph (miles) 720. 

Railroads (miles) 220. 

Seaports . Manila, Cavite, Iloilo. 

Revenue to Spain C95) $13,280,130 (estimated). 

Expenditure by Spain .... ('95) $15,280,130 (estimated). 
Population 7,670,000. 

Prevailing races Malays, Chinese, savage tribes, comparatively few Spaniards, 

Prevailing language Spanish and Chinese. 

Prevailing religion Roman Catholic. 

Education Of no importance. 

Capital, population Manila, 300,000. 

Largest city, population = . . Manila. 
Other cities, population . . . See seaports. 

Possession of Spain since . . 1660 — Spanish rule acknowledged 1829. 

Rivers Very few, all small. 

Mountains . Mayon, Buhayan (volcanoes). 

Animals Domestic and burden animals abundant, no wild animals. 

Phenomena Volcanic eruptions, typhoons, earthquakes. 

Wants Freedom from heavy taxation, schools, roads, harbors. 

Distance from Washington . Twenty-five days. 



The Hawaiian Islands. 

A study of this new territory reveals some interesting facts. The islands 
were discovered in 1720 by Captain Cook, an English navigator. For some 
abstruse reason, probably because they were too far away to be of an}' service 
to any of her colonies, England never took possession of the islands. In 
fact, her course toward them has been one equivalent to the relinquishment 
of whatever rights she had to the islands. 

Since the islands were discovered attempts have been made to establish 
a government on them, once by an English body of colonists, and once by 
French colonists. _Both, however, were abandoned in due course of time, 
neither the English nor French Government thinking it wise or worth while 
to give official sanction to the same. After awhile a monarchy arose, but a 
revolution, in which the good offices of the United States troops were found 
necessary, put an end to it. It was this revolution which made Queen Lil 
abdicate the throne. Later on, the government became a republic, and it 
comes into the United States as such. 

The Hawaiian Islands are 15 in number, are a little over 2,500 miles from 
San Francisco, and have a coast over 800 miles long. Altogether they com- 
prise about 6,640 square miles. The shortest distance between any of the 
islands is five miles, while some of the islands are at least 25 miles apart. 



OUR NEW TERRITORIES. 



639 



Five of the islands do not possess a single inhabitant. The chief island is 
Oahu, which contains 600 square miles, and has a population of 40,205. Upon 
this island is situated Honolulu, which is the seat of the government, or, in 
other words, the capital of the islands. The island is almost entirely given 
up to sugar plantations, in which at least 30,000 of its people are engaged. 

Only Fourteen Families. 

The Island of Neehau contains 97 square miles, and has a population of 
only 14 families. Ownership of it is claimed by an Englishman, who asserts 
that he bought it from the former king of the islands. It is given entirely to 
grazing, and from 30,000 to 40,000 sheep are raised on it annually. The 
Island of Keani contains 590 square miles, and has a population of 15,392. 
There is a party of German colonists, who claim that they own the island, 
which is entirely given up to sugar plantations. 

The island that is probably best known throughout the world is Molo- 
kai. It comprises 270 square miles, and has a population of 2,307. It is a 
leper settlement, and over 1,200 of the residents are sufferers from leprosy. 
The island came into great notoriety several years ago through the death of 
the celebrated Father Damien, who, it will be remembered, contracted the 
dread disease while ministering to the spiritual and temporal needs of those 
who were afflicted with it. At the island of Maui, which contains 760 square 
miles, and which has a population of 17,726, are the immense sugar planta- 
tions of Claus Spreckles, the California sugar king. The island of Lauai 
contains 105 people, who maintain themselves by grazing. Another large 
island is Hawaii, which consists of 4,210 square miles, and which has a popu- 
lation of 33,285. 

The chief product of the islands is sugar. Sugar forms 99 per cent, of 
the exports of the islands. In 1897 the sugar sent out from the islands 
amounted to the enormous total of 502,000,000 pounds. The population of 
the islands, according to recent statistics, is about 109,000. 

The Island of Guam. 

The Marianne or Ladrone Islands lie to the north of the western end of 
the Caroline band. They are physically associated with the Japanese Islands. 
This group has fifteen islands large enough to note. They aggregate about 
440 square miles and have about 1 0,000 inhabitants. The largest is Guam, 
with 200 square miles and 7,000 inhabitants. This island was captured and 
the United States flag was hoisted over it by officers and marines from the 
United States cruiser Charleston on June 21st, 1898. The Charleston was on 
its way to join Admiral Dewey's squadron at Manila. 



Treaty of Peace with Spain 



HE Peace Commissioners appointed by the United States and Span- 
ish Governments finally reached an agreement respecting the 
terms for establishing peace between the two Nations. The Com- 
missioners met in Paris on October 1st and at once began their 
labors. Reports from time to time indicated that serious disagreements had 
developed, and it was even rumored that it would be impossible to reach an 
agreement that would satisfy both parties. The result, however, proved the 
contrary. 

The Spanish Commissioners were compelled to yield to the force of 
circumstances, to realize the hopelessness of further opposition and to accept 
the inevitable. In other words, the title of the United States to the posses- 
sion of a vast colonial territory was confirmed and ratified by the joint com- 
mission in Paris after negotiations continuing more than two months. 

What the Territory Includes. 

This territory includes Porto Rico, the island of Guam and the Philippine 
archipelago, considered in its broadest geographical sense — that is, compris- 
ing the Sulu Islands. At the same time the Spanish sovereignty over Cuba 
was also relinquished. 

The length of the proceedings alone would indicate that every conces- 
sion was wrested with difficulty from the Spanish delegates, while the com- 
pleteness of their surrender proves the moral strength of the American 
position. It seemed at one time that the sittings might be dragged out 
indefinitely. The American Commissioners, however, gradually and skillfully 
bound down their adversaries to the real issue. At length it became mani- 
fest that the moment had arrived when Spain must decide between accepting 
the essential conditions of the United States or the resumption of hostilities. 

The American Commissioners presented a long, detailed reply to all the 
Spanish objections. The arguments advanced were shown to be inadmis- 
sible. The different points of law raised by Spain were discussed and dis- 
posed of, and the Americans finally pointed out that as the negotiations had 
lasted nearly two months, it was impossible to prolong the unreasonably 

640 




TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



641 



strained situation that at any moment might jeopardize the peace of the 
civilized world. 

They therefore, in diplomatic but unmistakable language, gave Spain 
the choice between an acceptance of their terms and a fresh appeal to arms. 

Demands Made on Spain. 

These terms were, first, the relinquishment of Spanish sovereignty in- 
Cuba ; second, the complete and unconditional cession to the United States 
of Porto Rico, the Island of Guam, and the Philippines, between latitudes 5 
degrees and 20 degrees north, and longitude 115 degrees and 130 degrees 
east. 

The ceding to us of the Philippines cannot have been an after-thought 
upon the part of the Commissioners, for a careful collation of information 
from various sources proves that from the very beginning they included the 
Sulu archipelago in the Philippine group, to which it belongs, both geo- 
graphically and politically, as it has always been governed from Manila — a 
view amply borne out by the action of Germany and Great Britain some 
twenty years before. 

Upon the condition that these preliminaries should be accepted the 
United States Commissioners expressed their willingness to discuss amicably 
the settlement of the various questions which the change of regime made 
it desirable to have regulated. 

Among these were the purchase of an island in the Carolines, preferably 
Ualan, the most easterly of the group, for a cable station, the release of politi- 
cal prisoners and the establishment of religious freedom in the Caroline 
Islands. The necessity of an island, to be used as a naval station, between 
Honolulu and Guam, is made clear by a glance at the map. 

With reference to the second point, the release of political prisoners, the 
United States could not humanely take any other attitude than one of com- 
miseration and interest in those who have fallen into disgrace while strug- 
gling to throw off the rule of Spain in either Cuba, Porto Rico or the Philip- 
pines. The Commissioners, therefore, deserve the hearty approbation of all 
for having included this matter among those it is desirable to have arranged 
in the peace treaty. 

The establishment of genuine religious freedom in the Carolines is also 
a question intimately concerning the United States. These islands have 
offered a wide and fertile field for missionary work. The majority of the 
natives are Christians, and their conversion is in a preponderating measure 
the work of the American missionaries. Therefore, in endeavoring to secure 
a real, as opposed to a theoretical religious freedom, the United States Com- 
41 



642 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



missioners were only assuring to their countrymen peaceful enjoyment of the 
fruits of their labors in the cause of Christianity. 

The Commissioners further went on to discuss the treatment to be 
accorded to Spanish importations to the Philippines. After assuring the 
Spaniards that the policy of the United States was an "open door" in these 
islands they offered to guarantee, during a certain period, identically the same 
commercial privileges to Spain as would be accorded to America, and, 
indeed, to Europe. This agreement would still be binding upon the United 
States, even though their policy in this respect might otherwise undergo 
modification. 

It appears that this term of years is sufficiently long to be worth Spain's 
consideration, while not so extended as to unduly bind the United States. 
The Commissioners, in fact, were actuated, on the one hand, Ly a desire not 
to pledge the government here to a definite policy for too lengthy a period, 
and, on the other hand, to avoid the accusation of trifling with their adversaries 
by making a derisive offer of commercial advantage. 

Willing to Agree to the Terms. 

This, in substance, was the ultimatum given to the Spanish Commissioners, 
and subsequently Spain replied to it. While refusing to admit the arguments 
of the United States, and. at the same time disputing the justice of their con- 
clusions, the Spanish delegation yielded to the force of circumstances, and 
accepted the inevitable, avowing their willingness to agree to these terms. 

There was a mutual agreement concerning the indemnity of £20,000,000 
offered by the United States, this being accepted by Spain, as part and parcel 
of the agreement. 

The document presenting this acceptance of our terms by the Spanish 
Commission contained only 300 words. It opened with a reference to the 
final terms of the United States, and said that the Spanish Commissioners, 
after having taken cognizance of the terms proposed by the Americans, replied 
that their government had tried to give as equitable an answer as possible, 
but that they were not prepared to commit their government to the acceptance 
of the principles embodied in the American argument. Spain rejected these 
: principles, the note continued, "as she always has rejected them." 

Basing her attitude on the justice of her cause, the note then said, she 
still adhered to those principles " which she has heretofore invariably for- 
mulated." 

However, the note added, in her desire for peace she had gone so far as 
to propose certain compromises, which the Americans had always rejected. 
She had also attempted, it was further asserted, to have submitted to arbitra- 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



643 



tion some of the material points upon which the two governments differed. 
These proposals for arbitration, it was added, the Americans had equally 
rejected. 

These allegations in Spain's reply as to attempted arbitration, referred 
to her proposal to arbitrate the construction of the third article of the protocol, 
and also to submit the Spanish colonial debt of Cuba and the Philippines to 
arbitration. The last proposition was made in a written communication. 
Subsequent to its presentation, and in return for such arbitration, Spain 
offered to cede the territory in dispute. The Americans refused both propo- 
sitions for arbitration. 

Spain's reply in substance continued by declaring that the United States 
had offered, as a kind of compensation to Spain, something very inadequate 
to the sacrifices the latter country makes at this moment, and she feels, 
therefore, that the United States' proposals cannot be considered just and 
equitable. 

Spain had, however, exhausted all the resources of diplomacy in an 
attempt to justify her attitude. Seeing that an acceptance of the proposal 
made to Spain was a necessary condition to a continuance of negotiations, 
and seeing that the resources of Spain were not such as to enable her to re- 
enter upon war, she was prepared, in her desire to avoid bloodshed and from 
considerations of humanity and patriotism, to submit to the conditions of 
the conquering nation. She was therefore ready to accept the proposals of 
the American commission, as presented at the last sitting. 

End of a Long Controversy. 

The reading and the translation of the document occupied less than 
five minutes. At the conclusion of the translation the commissioners em- 
powered Senor Ojeda, secretary of the Spanish Commission, and Secretary 
Moore, of the American Commission, to draw up articles which were to 
embody the relinquishment of Cuba by Spain and the cession of Porto Rico 
and the Philippines. 

The commissioners left the Foreign Office immediately after the secre- 
taries had been directed to prepare the articles of the peace treaty. There 
Avas scarcely any conversation between the American and Spanish commis- 
sioners after the adjournment. 

Among the Americans only the most grave consideration for their Span- 
ish colleagues was apparent. The Spaniards seemed to be relieved at having 
arrived at the conclusion of a long controversy. 

Having embodied in the treaty articles all the protocol questions, the 
two commissions entered upon friendly negotiations regarding the matters 



644 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



suggested in the American ultimatum, matters subsidiary and incidental to 
the principal provisions, which must form part of the peace treaty as finally 
signed. 

Thus Spain honorably accepted the situation, and while entering a pro- 
test against the demands of the United States, yielded to superior force and 
entered into a treaty upon the conditions imposed. Beyond the general re- 
joicing that the war was thus definitely and successfully ended, there was no 
disposition among Americans to exult over the fallen foe. The very com- 
pleteness of Spain's defeat and her acknowledged helplessness appealed, if not 
to sympathy, at least to consideration, and strengthened the conviction every- 
where of the inevitableness of the result. 

The time had come, in the course of history, when Spain's government 
of her colonies had failed and they must of necessity pass under more 
enlightened control, for the sake of the people themselves and of the wide 
interests of humanity. Circumstances threw this necessary task upon the 
United States, and our ground for rejoicing is that we were equal to the 
opportunity. We can see now that to Spain's weakness as well as to our 
strength was due the quickness and completeness of her overthrow in both 
her Western and her Eastern possessions, and that these have passed into 
our hands because she was no longer fit to hold them and because in the 
natural evolution of events their control has devolved upon ourselves. 

The Result Gould Not Be Otherwise. 

Thus the agreement at Paris is not merely the acquiescence of a defeated 
nation in the demands of its conquerors, but rather the recognition, upon 
both sides, of an historical event of vast importance which neither side nor 
both together could successfully avert and which their disagreement could 
no more than delay. Spain's great part in the development of a new world 
has long been played and the power she was unable to hold has passed from 
her finally. That~Spain may eventually be the stronger by the concentration 
of her energies at home is quite conceivable. Whether this country shall 
become stronger by the wide extension of its energies in new fields must 
depend entirely upon the use we make of the opportunities and duties which 
have come to us in the history of the world. 

Upon the assembling of Congress at Washington on the 5th of Decem- 
ber measures were taken for ascertaining the sentiments of the Senators con- 
cerning the terms of the treaty, and it was discovered that without doubt the 
work of our Peace Commissioners at Paris would be endorsed and the treaty 
would be ratified by the Senate. 

It was thought by the majority of the Senators that our demands on 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



645 



Spain were quite reasonable under the circumstances. There were others, 
however, who voiced a certain public sentiment by affirming that we did not 
want the Philippine Islands at any price and would be better off without them. 

Meanwhile the Joint Commission at Paris continued its deliberations. 
Much of the discussion concerned details as to the guaranteeing of the rights 
of Spanish citizens in the ceded colonies. The debate was occasionally ener- 
getic, and the Spaniards often appeared to be dejected. 

The Spanish Commissioners received authority to bind their government 
on certain matters, but there were important questions on which their instruc- 
tions were unsatisfactory, and it was thought that many of the details involved 
in the change of sovereignty in the Spanish possessions would have to be 
left for settlement by the regular diplomatic processes when relations between 
the two governments are resumed. 

The history of the document which will certify the downfall of the oldest 
colonial power in the world and the advent of the newest was epitomized by 
Judge Day in a single sentence : " A peace treaty can contain anything which 
the victors put into it." 

What the Spanish Commissioners Wanted. 

The Americans listened with their accustomed patience to the technical- 
ities employed by the Spaniards with their customary shrewdness and per- 
sistency against every proposal making for the dismemberment of their empire. 

The burden of the Spanish arguments was that matters outside the bare 
cession and evacuation of the conquered territories, which the Americans 
proposed to cover by the treaty, were beyond the legitimate and customary 
scope of a peace treaty. Behind this bulwark Senor Montero Rios, president 
of the Spanish Commission, fortified himself, bombarding his opponents with 
a supply of arguments and precedents which inspired the feebly expressed 
admiration of the Americans. Finally Judge Day summarized the American 
position in the foregoing memorable utterance. It was given and taken in 
good spirit, and from that moment the proceedings were entirely friendly. 

The bargain for a coaling station in the Carolines was not cemented, and 
was thought likely to fail. The temper of the Americans in this matter was : 
We have made you a good offer for an island. You may take or leave it. 

The Spaniards seemed disposed to leave it The Americans did not 
regard it as a prize which they could demand as one of the natural fruits 
of the war, while the whole policy of the Spaniards was to confine the nego- 
tiations as narrowly as possible to the letter of the protocol signed in Wash- 
ington and to exclude all extraneous matters. The result of this policy may 
be the leaving of many details involved in the change of sovereignty over 



646 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



the various possessions to settlement by the regular diplomatic processes 
when normal relations between the two governments have been resumed. 

TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE UNITED 
STATES AND SPAIN. 

The Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain was at first 
comprised in eight articles containing the essential features of the agreement. 
These were afterwards subdivided into seventeen articles as follows : 

The United States of America and her Majesty the Queen Regent of 
Spain, in the name of her august son, Don Alfonso XIII., desiring to end the 
state of war now existing between the two countries, have for that purpose 
appointed as Plenipotentiaries : 

The President of the United States, William R. Day, Cushman K. Davis, 
William P. Frye, George Gray and Whitelaw Reid, citizens of the United 
States ; and her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain, Don Eugenio Montero 
Rios, President of the Senate ; Don Buenaventura de Abarzuza, Senator of 
the Kingdom and ex-Minister of the Crown ; Don Jose de Garnica, Deputy 
to the Cortes and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court ; Don Wenceslao 
Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary 
at Brussels, and Don Rafael Cerero, General Division. 

Who, having assembled in Paris, and having exchanged their full powers, 
which were found to be in due and proper form, have, after discussion of the 
matters before them, agreed upon the following articles : 

Article I. Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to 
Cuba. 

And as the island is, upon its evacuation by Spain, to be occupied by 
the United States, the United States will, so long as such occupation shall 
last, assume and discharge the obligations that may under international law 
result from the fact- of its occupation, for the protection of life and property. 

Article II, Spain cedes to the United States the island of Porto Rico 
and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies and the 
island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones. 

Article III. Spain cedes to the United States the archipelago known 
as the Philippine Islands, and comprehending the islands lying within the fol- 
lowing line : 

A line running from west to east along or near the twentieth parallel of 
north latitude, and through the middle of the navigable channel of Bachi, 
from the one hundred and eighteenth (i 1 8th) to the one hundred and twenty- 
seventh (127th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, thence along 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



647 



the one hundred and twenty-seventh (127th) degree meridian of longitude 
east of Greenwich to the parallel of four degrees and forty-five minutes 
(4 45 r ) north latitude, thence along the parallel of four degrees and forty-five 
minutes (4 45 r ) north latitude to its intersection with the meridian of longi- 
tude one hundred and nineteen degrees and thirty-five minutes (119 35') 
east of Greenwich, thence along the meridian of longitude one hundred and 
nineteen degrees and thirty-five minutes (119 35') east of Greenwich, to the 
parallel of latitude seven degrees and forty minutes (7 40') north, thence 
along the parallel of latitude seven degrees and forty minutes (7 40') north 
to its intersection with the one hundred and sixteenth (1 16th) degree meri- 
dian of longitude east of Greenwich, thence by a direct line to the intersec- 
tion of the tenth (10th) degree parallel of north latitude with the one hundred 
and eighteenth (1x8th) degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, and 
thence along the one hundred and eighteenth (11 8th) degree meridian of 
longitude east of Greenwich to the point of beginning. 

The United States will pay to Spain the sum of twenty million dollars 
($20,000,000) within three months after the exchange of the ratifications of 
the present treaty. 

Article IV. The United States will, for the term of ten years from the 
date of the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, admit Spanish 
ships and merchandise to the ports of the Philippine Islands on the same 
terms as ships and merchandise of the United States. 

Article V. The United States will, upon the signature of the present 
treaty, send back to Spain, at its own cost, the Spanish soldiers taken as 
prisoners of war on the capture of Manila by the American forces. The arms 
of the soldiers in question shall be restored to them. 

Spain will, upon the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, 
proceed to evacuate the Philippines, as well as the island of Guam, on terms 
similar to those agreed upon by the Commissioners appointed to arrange for 
the evacuation of Porto Rico and other islands in the West Indies under the 
Protocol of August 12, 1898, which is to continue in force till its provisions 
are completely executed. 

The time within which the evacuation of the Philippine Islands and 
Guam shall be completed shall be fixed by the two Governments. Stands of 
colors, uncaptured war vessels, small arms, guns of all calibres, with their 
carriages and accessories, powder, ammunition, live stock, and materials and 
supplies of all kinds, belonging to the land and naval forces of Spain in the 
Philippines and Guam, remain the property of Spain. Pieces of heavy 
ordnance, exclusive of field artillery, in the fortifications and coast defences, 
shall remain in their emplacements for the term of six months, to be reckoned 



648 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



from the exchange of ratifications of the treaty ; and the United States may, 
in the meantime, purchase such material from Spain, if a satisfactory agree- 
ment between the two Governments on the subject shall be reached. 

Article VI. Spain will, upon the signature of the present treaty, release 
all prisoners of war, and all persons detained or imprisoned for political 
offences, in connection with the insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines 
and the war with the United States. 

Reciprocally the United States will release all persons made prisoners of 
war by the American 'forces, and will undertake to obtain the release of all 
Spanish prisoners in the hands of the insurgents in Cuba and the Philippines. 

The Government of the United States will at its own cost return to Spain, 
and the Government of Spain will at its own cost return to the United States, 
Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines, according to the situation of their 
respective homes, prisoners released or caused to be released by them, 
respectively, under this article. 

Article VII. The United States and Spain mutually relinquish all 
claims for indemnity, national and individual, of every kind, of either Gov- 
ernment, or of its citizens or subjects, against the other Government, that 
may have arisen since the beginning of the late insurrection in Cuba, and 
prior to the exchange of ratifications of the present treaty, including all 
claims for indemnity for the cost of the war. 

The United States will adjudicate and sethe the claims of its citizens 
against Spain relinquished in this article. 

Article VIII. In conformity with the provisions of Articles I, II and 
III of this treaty, Spain relinquishes in Cuba, and cedes in Porto Rico and 
other islands in the West Indies, in the island of Guam, and in the Philippine 
Archipelago, all the buildings, wharves, barracks, forts, structures, public 
highways and other immovable property which, in conformity with law, belong 
to the public domain, and as such belong to the Crown of Spain. 

And it is hereby- declared that the relinquishment or cession, as the case 
may be, to which the preceding paragraph refers, cannot in any respect 
impair the property or rights which by law belong to the peaceful possession 
of property of all kinds, of provinces, municipalities, public or private estab- 
lishments, ecclesiastical or civic bodies, or any other associations having legal 
capacity to acquire and possess property in the aforesaid territories renounced 
or ceded, or of private individuals, of whatsoever nationality such individuals 
may be. 

The aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, includes 
all documents exclusively referring to the sovereignty relinquished or ceded 
that may exist in the archives of the Peninsula. Where any document in 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



649 



such archives only in part relates to said sovereignty, a copy of such part 
will be furnished whenever it shall be requested. Like rules shall be recip- 
rocally observed in favor of Spain in respect of documents in the archives of 
the islands above referred to. 

In the aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, are also 
included such rights as the Crown of Spain and its authorities possess in 
respect of the official archives and records, executive as well as judicial, in 
the islands above referred to, which relate to said islands or the rights and 
property of their inhabitants. Such archives and records shall be carefully 
preserved, and private persons shall without distinction have the right to 
require, in accordance with law, authenticated copies of the contracts, wills 
and other instruments forming part of notarial protocols or files, or which 
may be contained in the executive or judicial archives, be the latter in Spain 
or in the islands aforesaid. 

Article IX. Spanish subjects, natives of the Peninsula, residing in the 
territory over which Spain by the present treaty relinquishes or cedes her sover- 
eignty, may remain in such territory or may remove therefrom, retaining in 
either event all their rights of property, including the right to sell or dispose of 
such property or of its proceeds ; and they shall also have the right to carry on 
their industry, commerce and professions, being subject in respect thereof to 
such laws as are applicable to other foreigners. In case they remain in the 
territory they may preserve their allegiance to the Crown of Spain by making, 
before a court of record, within a year from the date of the exchange of rati- 
fications of this treaty, a declaration of their decision to preserve such alle- 
giance; in default of v/hich declaration they shall be held to have renounced 
it and to have adopted the nationality of the territory in which they may reside. 

The civil rights and political status of the native inhabitants of the terri- 
tories hereby ceded to the United States shall be determined by the Congress. 

Article X. The inhabitants of the territories over which Spain relin- 
quishes or cedes her sovereignty shall be secured in the free exercise of their 
i sagion. 

Article XI. The Spaniards residing in the territories over which Spain 
by this treaty cedes or relinquishes her sovereignty shall be subject in matters 
^ivil as well as criminal to the jurisdiction of the courts of the country wherein 
/'they reside, pursuant to the ordinary laws governing the same ; and they shall 
have the right to appear before such courts and to pursue the same course as 
citizens of the country to which the courts belong. 

Article XII. Judicial proceedings pending the time of the exchange 
of ratifications of this treaty in the territories over which Spain relinquishes 
or cedes her sovereignty shall be determined according to the following rules: 



650 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



1. Judgments rendered either in civil suits between private individuals,, 
or in criminal matters, before the date mentioned and with respect to which 
there is no recourse or right of review under the Spanish law, shall be deemed 
to be final, and shall be executed in due form by competent authority in the 
territory within which such judgments should be carried out. 

2. Civil suits between private individuals which may on the date men- 
tioned be undetermined shall be prosecuted to judgment before the court in 
which they may then be pending, or in the court that may be substituted 
therefor. 

3. Criminal actions pending on the date mentioned before the Supreme 
Court of Spain against citizens of the territory, which by this treaty ceases to 
be Spanish shall continue under its jurisdiction until final judgment; but, such 
judgment having been rendered, the execution thereof shall be committed to 
the competent authority of the place in which the case arose. 

Article XIII. The rights of property secured by copyrights and 
patents acquired by Spaniards in the Island de Cuba, and in Porto Rico, the 
Philippines and other ceded territories, at the time of the exchange of the 
ratification of this treaty, shall continue to be respected. Spanish scientific, 
literary and artistic works, not subversive of public order in the territories 
in question, shall continue to be admitted free of duty into such territories 
for the period of ten years, to be reckoned from the date of the exchange of 
the ratification of this treaty." 

Article XIV. Spain shall have the power to establish consular offices 
in the ports and places of the territories, the sovereignty over which has been 
either relinquished or ceded by the present treaty. 

Article XV. The Government of each country will, for the term of 
ten years, accord to the merchant vessels of the other country the same treat- 
ment in respect of all port charges, including entrance and clearance dues, 
light dues and tonnage duties, as it accords to its own merchant vessels, not 
engaged in the coastwise trade. 

This article may at any time be terminated on six months' notice given 
by either Government to the other. 

Article XVI. It is understood that any obligations assumed in this 
treaty by the United States with respect to Cuba are limited to the time of 
its occupancy thereof ; but it will, upon the termination of such occupancy, 
advise any Government established in the island to assume the same obliga- 
tions. 

Article XVII. The present treaty shall be ratified by the President of 
the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, 
and by Her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain ; and the ratification shall 



OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



651 



be exchanged at Washington within six months from the date hereof, or 
earlier if possible. 

In faith whereof we, the respective Plenipotentiaries, have signed this 
treaty and hereunto affixed our seals. 

Done in duplicate at Paris, the tenth day of December, in the year of 
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight. 



* « 




EUGENIO MONTERO RIOS. 

B. DE ABARAZUZA. 

J. DE GARNICA. 

W. R. DE VILLI-URRUTIA. 

RAFAEL CERERO. 



The treaty of peace was signed at 8.45 on the evening of December 
loth, 1898. The treaty consisted of seventeen articles, it having been found 
advisable to subdivide two or three of the articles in the draft agreed upon at 
the last meeting. 

The commissioners of the two nations wrote their signatures on two 
copies of the treaty, one copy being for the archives. The document was pre- 
pared by Secretary Moore in behalf of the United States commission and by 



662 



TREATY OF PEACF WITH SPAIN. 



Senor Villaurutia for Spain, on account of the illness of Secretary Ojeda, of 
the Spanish commission. 

Each copy contained the English and Spanish texts of the treaty in 
parallel columns. The wording had been approved previously by the com- 
missioners without a joint meeting, so there was no controversy on the subject. 

There was a great contest among the families and friends of the Ameri- 
can Commissioners for the pens with which the signatures of the treaty were 
written. Some of the Americans were provided with handsome pens pur- 
chased for the purpose. The Spaniards appeared to be unaffected by the 
souvenir craze, and contented themselves with the ordinary quill pens. 

Arthur Ferguson, the interpreter of the American Commission, requested 
Senor Eugenio Montero Rios to give him his pen, saying: "Have you any 
desire to preserve the pen with which you will sign ? " 

" Not the slightest," said the Spaniard, with a courtly bow. 

The signing of the treaty would have afforded a subject for a great his- 
torical painting. The group gathered about the table in the stately chamber 
of the French Foreign Office was impressive, while the fact that the sense of 
the importance of the issues which the act consummated was deeply felt by 
all the participants, gave an impressive and solemn tone to the scene. 

Details of Signing the Treaty 

Around the great mahogany table sat the ten arbiters of the destinies of 
an old and young nation. Ranged standing behind them were numerous 
attaches of the American commission. The jets from the crystal chandeliers 
above the heads of those present magnified the green and scarlet upholstering, 
giving the whole room a brilliant appearance. 

There was a theatrical contrast between the black-clothed actors and the 
scenery. To the Americans it was a happy ending of the drama of war; for 
the Spaniards it was plainly a bitter tragedy, none the less painful because 
long foreseen. They -sat silently, as though almost crushed, and none could 
withhold sympathy from Senor Eugenio Montero Rios, the President of the 
Spanish Commission, who, coming from his bed, was bundled in a great over- 
coat, though logs were burning in the fireplace near by. 

The spirits of the two bodies were symbolized by the clothes worn by the 
members of the commission, for the Americans were attired in evening dress 
for the dinner given to them immediately after the meeting by the Due de 
Loubat, and the Spaniards wore black frock coats. 

When the seals were prepared to be affixed, attendants were sent to 
procure ribbons of the French tri-color with which the documents were sealed, 
as a compliment to the French hosts of the commissions. 



TREATY OF PEACE WITH SPAIN. 



653 



The seal being impressed, the commissioners rose, and without formality 
each member shook the hands of all his antagonists and exchanged assur- 
ances of sincere personal esteem. 

The signing was finished at 8.54. At that time the door of the chamber 
opened, and W. R. De Villi-Urrutia appeared and exclaimed to a group of 
correspondents who were waiting in the corridor, " C'est fini." [It is fin- 
ished.] The other members of the Spanish commission followed W. R. De 
Villi-Urrutia and hurried silently through the vestibule to their waiting car- 
riages. The American commissioners strolled out chatting complacently, 
and as they descended the steps the lights in the chamber were darkened. 

Renewal of Commercial Relations. 

Further details were soon learned as to the wording of the treaty. The 
Americans are to pay for the repatriation of the Spanish troops from all the 
colonies. The Spaniards are to return all prisoners held by them. They are 
to retain possession of all military stores and munitions of war in the Philip- 
pines, and of such ships as have not been captured. 

The commercial treaties between the two nations which the war ruptured 
are to be renewed at the convenience of the two nations. 

The United States Peace Commissioners appreciated the respite from the 
long strain of daily conferences and almost daily sessions with the Spaniards, 
the intensity of which they hardly realized until it was over. 

Warm personal friendships and mutual regard had arisen between the 
two commissions as the result of their extended controversy at close quarters, 
and several members of both commissions exchanged calls. 

The American Commissioners unofficially informed the Spaniards that 
they would be glad to have the two commissions dine together. The reply 
was that the Spaniards would be most pleased, but feared it would be inadvi- 
sable, because it might be misconstrued at Madrid, where already much feel- 
ing existed against the Spanish Commissioners. Americans in Paris congra- 
tulated our Commissioners upon the successful termination of their labors. 
They had taken a deep interest in the proceedings, feeling confident that the 
result would reflect honor upon our country. 

Considering the importance of the interests at stake and the great variety 
of details connected with a treaty of peace, the work of the Joint Commission 
was performed in a very brief space of time. This was owing to the urgency 
of the American Commissioners, who understood well what demands they 
were to make upon Spain, and who did not hesitate to present promptly their 
ultimatum upon every disputed point. They strenuously and persistently- 
avoided all attempts at delay. 



Attack on Manila by the 
Insurgents. 



HE insurgent army of Aguinaldo, which had resolutely maintained 
its position near Manila after the town was surrendered by the 
Spaniards to the American soldiers and sailors, made a fierce 
attack on the American lines in the evening of February 4, 1899. 
General Otis, who succeeded General Merritt in command of our infantry at 
Manila, sent the following official despatch : 

"Manila, February 5, 1899. 
To Adjutant General Cottin, Washington : 

" Insurgents in large force opened attack on our outer lines at a quarter 
to nine last evening; renewed attack several times during night; at four 
o'clock this morning entire line engaged ; all attacks repulsed; at daybreak 
advanced against insurgents and have driven them beyond the lines they 
formerly occupied, capturing several villages and their defence works ; insur- 
gents' loss in dead and wounded very large ; our own casualties compara- 
tively few. Troops enthusiastic and acting fearlessly. Navy did splen- 
did execution on flanks of enemy ; insurgents secured a good many Mauser 
rifles, a few field pieces and quick-firing guns, with ammunition. 

" Otis." 

This message was received from Rear- Admiral Dewey: 

w Manila, February 5, 1899. 
" To the Secretary of the Navy, Washington : 

" Insurgents here inaugurated general engagement yesterday night, 
which was continued to-day. The American army and navy are generally 
successful. Insurgents have been driven back and our line advanced. No 
v casualties to navy. " Dewey." 

This cablegram from General Otis was received at the War Department: 

"Manila, February 5, 1899. 

"Adjutant General Corbin, Washington: 

" Have established our permanent lines well out and have driven off the 
insurgents. The troops have conducted themselves with great heroism. 

654 




ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



655 



The country about Manila is peaceful, and the city perfectly quiet. List of 
casualties not as great as at first supposed. " Otis." 

Defeated in a desperate effort to break through the American lines and 
enter the city of Manila, the insurgent forces, after fourteen hours of con- 
tinuous fighting, were driven from the villages of Santa Anna, Paco and Santa 
Mesa. They were compelled to retreat to a position quite a distance further 
. out in the suburbs than the one they held before attacking the city. 

Although it was at first impossible accurately to estimate the number of 
Americans who fell, it was believed that few of our men were killed. Upward 
of fifty were wounded. The losses of the insurgents were heavy, the Ameri- 
can troops having gone into the engagement with great enthusiasm and 
determination. They made the streets of the cily ring with their cheers when 
they were notified of the attack and were ordered to advance. 

Several of the vessels in Admiral Dewey's squadron participated in the 
fight, firing on the natives in Malate and Caloocan, and driving them inland 
from both of those places. 

How the Fight Began. 

This engagement was brought about by the action of three natives scouts, 
who, advancing close to the American lines near Santa Mesa, made a feint to 
go through. They retreated upon being challenged, but returned again in a 
short time. Once more they retreated. When they returned a third time 
and attempted to make their way past the outposts of the Nebraska troops a 
corporal challenged them and then fired. One of the natives was killed and 
another wounded. 

This affair was followed at nine o'clock by a general attack on the 
American outposts. The insurgents advanced all along the line from 
Caloocan to Santa Mesa. Our troops lost no time in replying to the attack. 
Members of the North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana regiments returned 
the insurgent fire with great vigor and succeeded in holding the natives in 
check until the main body of the American troops arrived on the scene. 

There was a lull in the fighting after the first reply of our troops, but 
,the firing was continued for five hours with much regularity. During the 
early hours of the morning it became more brisk, and at daylight the Amer- 
ican troops made a firm advance. 

In the daylight it was found that the insurgents had massed themselves 
about Santa Mesa and Caloocan, and that they had a considerable force 
about Gagalangin. Our troops directed their movements primarily against 
the natives between the first named places, and ultimately drove them out of 
the two villages. Telling work was done at the same time against the insur- 



656 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



gents about Gagalangin, and when the fighting ceased our troops were in 
possession of Santa Anna, in which village the natives had congregated for 
weeks prior to the fight. 

While the American troops were doing such effective work in repelling 
the attack, news of the fight was received on board the vessels of the 
American squadron, and the monitor Monadnock, which was lying ofTMalate, 
joined with the gunboat Concord and the cruiser Charleston, lying off 
Malabon, in firing on the insurgents. 

Fierce Fighting in the Darkness. 

The following graphic account of the engagement by a correspondent at 
Manila furnishes further details of the battle : 

" The long expected conflict between the Americans and Filipinos has 
come at last. The clash came at fifteen minutes before nine o'clock Saturday 
evening, when three daring Filipinos darted past the Nebraska regiment's 
pickets at Santa Mesa, but retired when challenged. They repeated the 
experiment without drawing the sentries' fire. But the third time Corporal 
Greely challenged the Filipinos and then fired, killing one of them and 
wounding another. 

"Almost immediately afterward the Filipinos' line, from Caloocan to 
Santa Mesa, began a fusillade, which was ineffectual. The outposts of the 
Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota troops replied vigorously and held 
their ground until reinforcements arrived. 

" The Filipinos in the meantime concentrated at three points — Caloocan y 
Gagalangin and Santa Mesa. At about one o'clock the Filipinos opened a 
hot fire from all three places simultaneously. This was supplemented by the 
firing of two siege guns at Balik-Balik and by advancing their skirmishers at 
Paco and Pandacan. The Americans responded with a terrific fire, but owing 
to the darkness they were unable to determine its effect, and the Utah light 
artillery finally succeeded in silencing the native battery. The Third artillery 
also did good work on the extreme left. The engagement lasted more than 
an hour. 

" The United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat Concord, sta- 
tioned off Malabon, opened fire from their secondary batteries on the Fili- 
pinos' position at Caloocan and kept it up vigorously. There was another 
fusillade along the entire line at a quarter to three o'clock, Sunday morning, 
and the United States seagoing monitor Monadnock opened fire on the 
enemy from off Malate. 

" With daylight the Americans advanced. The Californian and Wash- 
ington regiments made a splendid charge and drove the Filipinos from the 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 657 



villages of Paco and Santa Mesa. The Nebraska regiment also distinguished 
itself, capturing several prisoners and one howitzer and a very strong posi- 
tion at the reservoir, which is connected with the water works. 

Turned the Right Flank of the Insurgents. 

" The Kansas and Dakota regiments compelled the enemy's right flank 
to retire to Caloocan. There was intermittent firing at various points for 
many hours. The losses of the Filipinos are very heavy. The American 
losses are comparatively light The Ygorates tribe, armed with bows and 
arrows, made a very determined stand in the face of a hot artillery fire and 
left many men dead on the field. Several attempts were made in this city 
yesterday evening to assassinate American officers." 

Details of the battle furnished additional particulars of the victory gained 
by the American troops. The first shot from the American sentry was evi- 
dently accepted as a prearranged signal, for it was followed almost imme- 
diately by a terrific fusillade along the entire Filipino line on the north side 
of the Pasig river. The American outposts returned the fire with such vigor 
that the Filipinos were checked until the arrival of reinforcements. 

All the troops in the vicinity were hurried out and the Filipinos ceased 
riring for half an hour while their own reinforcements came up. At 10 o'clock 
the fighting was resumed, the American firing line, consisting of the Third 
Artillery, the Kansas and Montana regiments, the Minnesota regiment, the 
South Dakota and Colorado regiments, the Pennsylvanians, Nebraskans, the 
Utah Battery, the Idahos, the Washingtons, the Californians, the Fourth Cav- 
alry, North Dakota Volunteers, Sixth Artillery, and the Fourteenth Infantry. 

The Filipinos concentrated their forces at three points, Caloocan, Santa 
Mesa and Galingatan, and maintained an intermittent fusillade for some hours. 
They brought artillery into action at Galingatan at 10.30, but only one gun 
annoyed the Americans to any appreciable extent — a howitzer on the road 
beyond Santa Mesa. The Third Artillery silenced the Galingatan battery by 
firing two guns simultaneously, which was followed immediately by volleys 
from the infantry. 

At about midnight there was a lull in the firing lasting until 3.45 a.m., 
Amen the whole Filipino line reopened fire. The Americans poured a terrific 
fire into the darkness for twenty minutes, and then there was another lull until 
daylight, when the Americans made a general advance. 

During the night, in response to Rear-Admiral Dewey's signals flashed 
across from Cavite, the United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat 
Concord, stationed at Malabon, poured a deadly fire from their secondary 
battery into the Filipino trenches at Caloocan. After daylight the United 
42 



658 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



States double-turret seagoing monitor Monadnock opened fire off Malate and 
kept shelling the Filipinos' left flank, while the other vessels shelled the 
enemy's right flank for several hours. 

By io o'clock the Americans had apparently completely routed the 
enemy and had taken several villages, had destroyed hundreds of native huts 
and had secured possession of the water main, a distance of over six miles. 
The Tennessee regiment joined the firing line at io o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing and assisted in capturing Santa Mesa. 

A Brilliant Charge. 

One of the most notable events of Sunday's work was driving the Fili- 
pinos out of their stronghold at Paco by the reserve, a few companies of 
Californians commanded by Colonel Duboce. The main road to the village 
was lined by native huts full of Filipino sharpshooters. After they had 
been firing upon General King and his staff, killing a driver, and firing upon 
an ambulance of the Red Cross Society, Colonel Duboce ordered the huts to 
be cleared and burned. 

The Filipinos concentrated in Paco Church and convent, where they 
made a determined stand in the upper stories. A platoon of Californians 
stationed on a neighboring bridge maintained a hot fire on the Filipinos, but 
was unable to dislodge them. In the face of a terrible fusillade Colonel 
Duboce and a few volunteers dashed into the church, scattered coal oil inside 
01 it, and set fire to the oil and retired. 

In the meantime Captain Dyer's battery of the Sixth Artillery bom- 
barded the church, dropping a dozen shells into the tower and roof. Com- 
pany L and part of Company G, of the Californians, charged into the church, 
but were unable to ascend the single flight of steps leading to the story above. 

After the incendiaries had retired a company of the Idaho and Washing- 
ton Guards, stationed on either side of the building, picked off the Filipinos 
as they were smoked out. Many of the rebels, however, escaped into the 
brush in the rear of the church. The Americans captured fifty-three of the 
insurgents, and during the fighting about the church some twenty of the 
insurgents were killed. Some 2,500 women, children and non-combatants 
were allowed to enter the American lines after promising to go to the houses 
of friends and remain there. 

Another intensely exciting incident occurred during the engagement. 
The Washingtons and Idahos and Companies K and M, of the Californians, 
made charges across the rice fields between Paco and Santa Anna in the face 
of a terrible fusillade. The ground over which they passed was covered with 
dead and wounded natives. The former were buried in groups of five or six 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



659 



about where they lay, and the latter were brought to the hospital. It was at 
this stage of the fighting and at Caloocan that the Filipinos suffered their 
heaviest losses. 

The Fourteenth Regulars were in a particularly tight place near Singalon 
and Colonel Duboce was compelled to rush past them with the reserve in 
order to prevent the regulars from being cut off. In the last line twelve men 
were killed before the insurgents retired. Both sides cheered frequently 
during the engagement. The American " Hurrahs " were almost invariably 
met by derisive " vivas." Among the natives the Ygorates were specially 
noticeable for their bravery, about 700 of these naked savages facing artillery 
fire with their bows and arrows. 

The scene at Manila when the alarm was given on Saturday night was 
wildly exciting. The American soldiers in the theatres and at the circus 
were called out, the performances were stopped. Filipinos scurried every- 
where and the rattle of musketry and the booming of cannon outside the 
city were plainly heard. 

Refugees in the City. 

The residents of the outskirts of Manila flocked into the walled city, 
with their arms full of articles. All the carriages disappeared as if by magic, 
the street cars were stopped, the telegraph lines were cut and the soldiers 
hurriedly but silently marched out of the city to the stations assigned to 
them. The stores were closed amost instantly, foreign flags were to be seen 
flying from many windows and a number of white rags were hung out from 
Filipino huts and houses. 

On Sunday immense crowds of people visited the water front and 
gathered in the highest towers to watch the bombardment. There were no 
steamers or carriages to be seen and the streets were almost deserted. The 
Minnesota troops, acting as police, searched every native and arrested many 
of them, with the result that while there were several attempts to assassinate 
American officers on Saturday, there were none on Sunday. Absolute order 
was maintained. 

The United States flagship Olympia steamed across the bay on Sunday 
and took a position near the German cruiser Irene and the British cruiser 
Narcissus, off the Mole. The Americans were determined not to give the 
Filipinos a chance to recuperate. Two Filipino commissioners from Iloilo 
and four insurgents officers were arrested on board the steamer Uranus. 
Many suspects were arrested in various parts of the city. 

The good results of the firing were seen in the morning. Nearly all of 
the native huts on the outskirts of the city were flying white flags. The bur- 
ial of the dead Filipinos by our soldiers began at once. In one place 180 



660 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



bodies were found, and in another sixty. Nearly every American regiment 
engaged reported finding fifty or more of the enemy dead along its front. 

Two men on board the Monadnock were wounded by rifle shots from the 
insurgents on the shore, showing the closeness of the monitor to the beach. 
The slaughter of the insurgents north of the city by the fire of the quick-firing 
guns of the captured gunboat Callao, the 6- inch guns of the gunboat Concord 
and the 8-inch shells of the cruiser Charleston, was particularly heavy. 

Torn to Pieces by Shells. 

The Filipinos had massed along the beach, where they had been driven 
by General Otis' brigade, and hundreds of them were literally torn to pieces 
by the terrific rain of shells from the warships. The American troops com- 
manded the river front along the Pasig, while the captured Spanish gun-boat 
Laguna from the bay swept the rice fields along the river bank, fairly rid- 
dling the village of Santa Anna with her Gatling guns. 

The American troops while the fighting was going on were disposed in 
the following manner from the bay on the north around the city to the bay 
on the south : The Twentieth Kansas Infantry, Third Artillery, First Montana 
Infantry and Tenth Pennsylvania Infantry, under command of Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Otis ; the First South Dakota Infantry, First Colorado Infantry and First 
Nebraska Infantry, commanded by Brigadier- General Hale, both brigades 
being supported by Batteries A and B, of the Utah Light Artillery, under 
command of General McArthur ; the First California Infantry, first Idaho In- 
fantry, First Wyoming Infantry and First Washington Infantry, under Brig- 
adier-General King ; the Fourth Cavalry, Fourteenth Infantry and First North 
Dakota Infantry, commanded by Brigadier-General Ovenshine, both brigades 
being supported by the Sixth Artillery Division, commanded by General 
Anderson. 

There was some firing to the north of the city early this morning, but the 
general engagement practically ended on Sunday afternoon. The Fourteenth 
Infantry suffered most of the fatalities, owing to the close approach of the en- 
emy under the cover of the dense shrubbery and firing at short range from 
behind huts and other protecting objects. The First Washington Infantry 
and the Third Artillery also suffered heavily. The Utah artillery division and 
the Sixth Artillery were splendidly effective in shelling the insurgent trenches 
on Sunday morning. 

The victory of the American troops was complete. The insurgents were 
were driven back ten miles with terrible slaughter. The number of killed and 
wounded on the American side was insignificant compared with the losses 
inflicted on the enemy. 



ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS. 



661 



The Americans held all the points they captured, and under date of 
February 7th the following statement of the situation was furnished : 

" The Americans are in complete control of the situation within a radius 
of nine miles of Manila. Their lines extending to Malabon, on the north, 
and to Paranaque, on the south, are twenty-five miles long. 

" While a few detached bodies of the enemy still offer desultory opposi- 
tion, the main body of the rebels is in full retreat and utterly routed. Of the 
hordes of troops originally drawn up in battle array against the Americans, 
fully one-third are incapacitated and the others are scattered in every direction. 

" The terrible loss of the rebels may be gathered from the fact that 160 
of them were buried in one rice field on Monday, near Pasas, and that 87 
were interred between Paco and Santa Anna. A converted river gunboat did 
terrible execution among the rebels, sweeping both banks of the river with 
her Gatling guns and her heavier battery. Hundreds of Filipinos undoubtedly 
crawled into the canebrakes and died there. 

" The Americans are working nobly in their efforts to find the wounded 
and are now bringing hundreds of suffering rebels to the hospitals for treat- 
ment. The natives are unable to understand the humane motives which 
prompt the victors to succor the wounded of the enemy. 

Women Even Fought. 

" The members of the hospital corps made the startling discovery that 
there are several women, in male dress and with hair cropped, among the 
dead. A Filipino colonel came out this morning from Caloocan, under a flag 
of truce. Several American officers promptly went to meet him, but when 
the parties met the Filipinos opened fire. The Filipino apologized for the 
barbarous conduct of his troops and returned to his lines. 

" The American troops are being promptly furnished with supplies of all 
kinds, hospital attendance is supplied up to the firing line, and, in brief, all 
the wants of our troops are met immediately by the different military depart- 
ments whose duty it is to attend to such matters. 

" The chief of the Ygorates, the Filipino natives who fought so gallantly 
in the face of our artillery fire, with their bows and arrows, is in a hospital 
with a shattered thigh. He admits that he never saw modern artillery and 
was ignorant of its effects until he and his followers met the disastrous fire of 
Sunday morning. 

" The chief is bitterly incensed against the Tagalos for placing the 
Ygorates in front of the American battery, under the pretense that they 
were sent to occupy a post of honor, and he intimates that the Ygorates will 
avenge this treachery when the survivors return north. 



662 ATTACK ON MANILA BY THE INSURGENTS, 



" Hundreds of women refugees are pouring into Manila from all direc- 
tions, as the villages around Manila have, as a rule, been destroyed by the 
troops. The further the Americans extend their lines the more the need of 
means of transportation increases. The American commanders have already 
been compelled to impress horses and vehicles on all sides, to the inconveni- 
ence, naturally, of the civilians. 

u At 9 o'clock last night there was a general fusillade in the Guiapo and 
Binon districts. The inhabitants of the city generally believed that a battle 
was raging at their doors, lights were extinguished inside the dwellings and 
a majority of the people were in a state of terror. Under the circumstances 
it is remarkable that no casualties were reported. Several shots were fired 
across the river during the excitement. General Hughes has the interior 
situation absolutely in hand. 

" Artificer Hays, of Company I, of the Colorado Regiment, discovered 
the missing parts of the pumping machinery of the water works buried in a 
coal pile at Singalon station. The machinery will soon be in working order 
again, and the employees having promised to return to work this evening, it 
is improbable that the threatened water famine will occur/' 

General Aguinaldo, the rebel leader, issued two proclamations. In the 
first he says : 

" I order and command:- First. That peace and friendly relations with 
the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies within the 
limits prescribed by laws of war. 

" Second. That the Americans captured be held as prisoners of war. 

" Third. That this proclamation be communicated to the consuls and 
that Congress order and accord a suspension of the constitutional guarantee 
resulting from the declaration of war." 

In the second proclamation Aguinaldo says : 

" We have fought our ancient oppressors without arms, and we now 
trust to God to defend us against the foreign invaders." 

Peace Treaty Ratified by the Senate. 

Not since the excitement immediately following the destruction of the 
battleship Maine were the people of Washington so aroused as they were 
when the peace treaty was voted upon in the Senate. The Capitol halls and 
corridors were thronged from early morning with crowds who were intent upon 
witnessing the proceedings. The fact that our flag had been insulted and our 
soldiers and sailors at Manila subjected to wounds and death accentuated 
national interest in the pending treaty. 

Long before noon the public and private galleries of the Senate were 



TREATY OF PEACE RATIFIED. 



663 



filled and people streamed into the big marble building on Capitol Hill. But 
very few Senators were present before the gavel fell at noon. The Senators 
were in their various committee rooms, discussing the situation, and working 
with the supposed doubtful Senators to induce them to place patriotism above 
party and vote for the treaty. 

The treaty of peace was ratified in the executive session of the United 
States Senate, February 6th, by a vote of 57 to 27, the supporters of the treaty 
mustering but a single vote more than the necessary two-thirds.. There was 
no doubt whatever that the Spanish Cortes would ratify the treaty and the 
war with Spain was therefore concluded. 

When the news of the ratification of the peace treaty reached the Presi- 
dent, at his direction it was cabled to General Otis at Manila, who promptly 
replied acknowledging the receipt of the message containing the information. 

The vote in detail on the treaty was as follows : 

Yeas: — Aldrich, Allen, Allison, Baker, Burrows, Butler, Carter, Chand- 
ler, Clark, Clay, Cullom, Davis, Deboe, Elkins, Fairbanks, Faulkner, For- 
aker, Frye, Gallinger, Gear, Gray, Hanna, Hansbrough, Harris, Hawley, 
Jones, Nev., Kenney, Kyle, Lindsay, Lodge, McBride, McEnery, McLaurin, 
McMillan, Mantle, Mason, Morgan, Nelson, Penrose, Perkins, Pettus, Piatt, 
Conn., Piatt, N. Y., Pritchard, Quay, Ross, Sewell, Shoup, Simon, Spooner, 
Stewart, Sullivan, Teller, Thurston, Warren, Wellington, Wolcott — 57. 

Nays: — Bacon, Bate, Berry, CafTery, Chilton, Cockrell, Daniel, Gorman, 
Hale, Heitfeld, Hoar, Jones, Ark., Mallory, Martin, Mills, Mitchell, Money, 
Murphy, Pasco, Pettigrew, Riwlins, Roach, Smith, Tillman, Turley, Turner, 
Vest — 27. 

Absent and paired — Messrs. Cannon and Wilson for, with White against 
and Messrs. Proctor and Wetmore for, with Mr. Turpie against. 

The Vote Analyzed. 

The analysis of the vote shows that 43 Republicans, 9 Democrats and 5 
Populists and Silverites voted for the treaty, and 21 Democrats, 4 Populists 
and Silverites and 2 Republicans against. 

Senators Hale, of Maine, and Hoar, of Massachusetts, Republican, voted 
against ratification, as they had publicly declared that they would do. Sena- 
tor Mason, of Illinois, finding that the fate of the treaty was in danger, and 
having heard from every part of Illinois in favor of ratification, voted for rati- 
fication, although he had declared himself to be unalterably opposed to the 
treaty. Senator Wellington, of Maryland, who had been opposed to the ac- 
quisition of the Philippines, also voted for ratification. This was largely due 
to the influence of Senator-elect McComas, who will succeed Senator Gorman. 



664 



fREATY OF PEACE RATIFIED. 



The Democrats voting for ratification were Clay, of Georgia ; Faulkner, 
of West Virginia : Gray and Kenney, of Delaware ; McEnery, of Louisiana ; 
McLaurin, of South Carolina ; Morgan and Pettus, of Alabama, and Sullivan, 
of Mississippi. 

The Populists and Silver Repulicans who voted for ratification were 
Harris, of Kansas ; Jones and Stewart, of Nevada ; Kyle, of South Dakota, 
and Manley, of Montana. 

The absent members opposed to the treaty and paired were White, of 
California, and Turpie, of Indiana. The Republican senators paired with 
them were Proctor, of Vermont ; Wetmore, of Rhode Island, and Wilson, of 
Washington, and Silver Republican Cannon, of Utah. 

Patriotism Above Party. 

The ratification of the treaty was due in a great measure to the Senators 
from Nevada, Stewart, the Populist, and Jones, the Silver Republican. This 
statement does not detract from the well-performed duty of others. Under 
the circumstances, while the administration was seeking support, in order 
that the war with Spain might be honorably terminated, there was no reason 
to apprehend that the Senators from Nevada, both of whom were opposed to 
the administration and to the acquisition of the Philippines, would sustain 
the administration. 

But Senator Stewart, who had just been re-elected, announced himself as 
in favor of treaty ratification. He said : " We must stand by our soldiers and 
sailors. We will dispose of those islands afterward, for our people do not 
want to keep them. But I shall vote for the treaty." Very soon thereafter 
Senator Jones, who had been in consultation with his colleague from Nevada, 
sent a telegram from the Capitol to the White House, saying to the Presi- 
dent : "The treaty will be ratified," That was his means of informing the 
President how he would vote. 

The determination of the Nevada Senators soon became known through- 
out the Senate chamber, and it produced a decided effect. The opponents of 
ratification then realized that their efforts had proved abortive and that the 
humiliation of our fighting soldiers and sailors, and of our entire republic 
could not be accomplished. 

The country experienced a sense of relief in view of the fact that the 
treaty had been ratified by the Senate and was ready for the President's signa- 
ture. No doubt was expressed that in like manner it would be ratified by the 
Spanish Cortes and its operations would immediately go into effect, thus set- 
tling the future of the Philippines. 



CAPTURE OF ILOILO. 



665 



Further military operations in the Philippines resulted in more victories 
for the American troops, who routed the insurgents and held them in check. 
Under date of February 14th the following dispatch was received at the War 
Department in Washington : 

"The United States forces, under Brigadier General Miller, captured 
Iloilo, capital of the Island of Panay, and seat 01 the so-called government of 
the Visayan Federation, on February nth, after a bombardment. The rebels 
set the town on fire before evacuating it, but the American troops extinguished 
the flames. There were no casualties on the American side." 

Bombardment of Iloilo. 

General Miller, on receipt of his instructions from Manila, sent native 
commissioners ashore from the United States transport St. Paul with a com- 
munication for the rebel Governor of Iloilo calling on him to surrender within 
a time stated and warning him not to make a demonstration in the interval. 
The rebels immediately moved their guns and prepared to defend their posi- 
tion. The Petrel fired two warning guns. The rebels immediately opened 
fire on her. The Petrel and the Baltimore then bombarded the town, which 
the rebels, having set on fire, immediately evacuated. American troops were 
promptly landed and extinguished the fires in all cases of foreign property, 
but not before considerable damage had been done. 

The following official despatch from General Otis confirmed the first re- 
ports of the capture of Iloilo : 

" General Miller reports from Iloilo that town taken nth instant and 
held by troops. Insurgents given until evening of nth to surrender, but their 
hostile action brought on engagement during the morning. Insurgents fired 
native portion of town, but little loss to property of foreign inhabitants. No 
casualties among the United States troops reported." 

General Miller left Manila on December 26 on the transport Newport, 
with the Eighteenth Regular Infantry and a battery of the Sixth Regular 
Artillery. Later, when it was ascertained that the Panay insurgents had 
taken possession of the place on the surrender of the Spaniards and refused 
to withdraw to permit the American troops to occupy it, General Miller was 
instructed to avoid a conflict, but to guard against any possibility of a repulse 
in the event that hostilities occurred. The Fifty-first Iowa Infantry was sent 
to reinforce him. Later the Iowa regiment was withdrawn to Manila to give 
the men a period of rest ashore, as they had been aboard ship practically ever 
since they left San Francisco. The First Tennessee Regiment was sent to 
reinforce General Miller, and he attacked the city when these troops arrived. 
General Miller had a force of 3,322 men. 



MAR I 1899 



r n -in 



